U.S. patent number 8,284,170 [Application Number 12/242,868] was granted by the patent office on 2012-10-09 for touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for moving on-screen objects without using a cursor.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Apple Inc.. Invention is credited to Jeffrey Traer Bernstein.
United States Patent |
8,284,170 |
Bernstein |
October 9, 2012 |
Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for
moving on-screen objects without using a cursor
Abstract
An electronic device with a touch screen display: detects a
single finger contact on the touch screen display; creates a touch
area that corresponds to the single finger contact; determines a
representative point within the touch area; determines if the touch
area overlaps an object displayed on the touch screen display,
which includes determining if one or more portions of the touch
area other than the representative point overlap the object;
connects the object with the touch area if the touch area overlaps
the object, where connecting maintains the overlap of the object
and the touch area; after connecting the object with the touch
area, detects movement of the single finger contact; determines
movement of the touch area that corresponds to movement of the
single finger contact; and moves the object connected with the
touch area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch
area.
Inventors: |
Bernstein; Jeffrey Traer (San
Francisco, CA) |
Assignee: |
Apple Inc. (Cupertino,
CA)
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Family
ID: |
41719039 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/242,868 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2008 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20100079405 A1 |
Apr 1, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
345/174 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
3/04883 (20130101); G06F 3/04842 (20130101); G06F
3/04817 (20130101); G06F 3/0482 (20130101); G06F
3/0488 (20130101); G06F 3/0486 (20130101); G06F
2203/04808 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
3/045 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;345/76,156,163,169,172-179,211,212,589,630,684,848
;348/563,569,734 ;715/763,702,711,863,849,850 ;463/16,30,31,36,43
;455/414.1,456.3,466 ;178/18.03 ;340/932.2,435 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
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Primary Examiner: Dharia; Prabodh M
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method, comprising: at a computing device with a touch screen
display: detecting a single finger contact on the touch screen
display; creating a single touch area that corresponds to the
single finger contact on the touch screen display; determining if
the single touch area concurrently overlaps with a plurality of
objects displayed on the touch screen display; connecting the
plurality of objects with the single touch area if each object in
the plurality of objects is determined to concurrently overlap the
single touch area, wherein connecting the plurality of objects with
the single touch area maintains the overlap between the single
touch area and each object in the plurality of objects when the
single touch area is moved in accordance with detected movement of
the single finger contact; after connecting the plurality of
objects with the single touch area, detecting movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display; determining
movement of the single touch area that corresponds to movement of
the single finger contact on the touch screen display; and moving
the connected plurality of objects that concurrently overlap the
single touch area in accordance with the determined movement of the
single touch area.
2. The method of claim 1, including determining a representative
point within the single touch area; wherein determining if the
single touch area overlaps with the plurality of objects includes
determining if one or more portions of the single touch area other
than the representative point overlap the plurality of objects.
3. The method of claim 1, including while detecting movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display, detecting
intersection of the single touch area and/or the plurality of
objects connected with the single touch area with an unconnected
object on the touch screen display; and in response to detecting
intersection of the single touch area and/or the plurality of
objects connected with the single touch area with the unconnected
object, moving the unconnected object such that the unconnected
object ceases to intersect the single touch area and/or the
plurality of objects connected with the single touch area.
4. The method of claim 1, including determining that the single
touch area ceases to overlap with an object in the plurality of
objects connected with the single touch area; and in response to
determining that the single touch area ceases to overlap with the
object, disconnecting the single touch area from the object.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of objects are
moved in accordance with the determined movement of the single
touch area without using a cursor.
6. A computing device, comprising: a touch screen display; one or
more processors; memory; and one or more programs, wherein the one
or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be
executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs
including instructions for: detecting a single finger contact on
the touch screen display; creating a single touch area that
corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch screen
display; determining if the single touch area concurrently overlaps
with a plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen display;
connecting the plurality of objects with the single touch area if
each object in the plurality of objects is determined to
concurrently overlap the single touch area, wherein connecting the
plurality of objects with the single touch area maintains the
overlap between the single touch area and each object in the
plurality of objects when the single touch area is moved in
accordance with detected movement of the single finger contact;
after connecting the plurality of objects with the single touch
area, detecting movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; determining movement of the single touch area that
corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; and moving the connected plurality of objects that
concurrently overlap the single touch area in accordance with the
determined movement of the single touch area.
7. The device of claim 6, including instructions for determining a
representative point within the single touch area; wherein
determining if the single touch area overlaps with the plurality of
objects includes determining if one or more portions of the single
touch area other than the representative point overlap the
plurality of objects.
8. The device of claim 6, including instructions for: while
detecting movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display, detecting intersection of the single touch area and/or the
plurality of objects connected with the single touch area with an
unconnected object on the touch screen display; and in response to
detecting intersection of the single touch area and/or the
plurality of objects connected with the single touch area with the
unconnected object, moving the unconnected object such that the
unconnected object ceases to intersect the single touch area and/or
the plurality of objects connected with the single touch area.
9. The device of claim 6, including instructions for: determining
that the single touch area ceases to overlap with an object in the
plurality of objects connected with the single touch area; and in
response to determining that the single touch area ceases to
overlap with the object, disconnecting the single touch area from
the object.
10. The device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of objects are
moved in accordance with the determined movement of the single
touch area without using a cursor.
11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored
therein instructions, which when executed by a computing device
with a touch screen display, cause the device to: detect a single
finger contact on the touch screen display; create a single touch
area that corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; determine if the single touch area concurrently
overlaps with a plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen
display; connect the plurality of objects with the single touch
area if each object in the plurality of objects is determined to
concurrently overlap the single touch area, wherein connecting the
plurality of objects with the single touch area maintains the
overlap between the single touch area and each object in the
plurality of objects when the single touch area is moved in
accordance with detected movement of the single finger contact;
after connecting the plurality of objects with the single touch
area, detect movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; determine movement of the single touch area that
corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; and move the connected plurality of objects that
concurrently overlap the single touch area in accordance with the
determined movement of the single touch area.
12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, including
instructions which cause the device to determine a representative
point within the single touch area; wherein determining if the
single touch area overlaps with the plurality of objects includes
determining if one or more portions of the single touch area other
than the representative point overlap the plurality of objects.
13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, including
instructions which cause the device to: while detecting movement of
the single finger contact on the touch screen display, detect
intersection of the single touch area and/or the plurality of
objects connected with the single touch area with an unconnected
object on the touch screen display; and in response to detecting
intersection of the single touch area and/or the plurality of
objects connected with the single touch area with the unconnected
object, move the unconnected object such that the unconnected
object ceases to intersect the single touch area and/or the
plurality of objects connected with the single touch area.
14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, including
instructions which cause the device to: determine that the single
touch area ceases to overlap with an object in the plurality of
objects connected with the single touch area; and in response to
determining that the single touch area ceases to overlap with the
object, disconnect the single touch area from the object.
15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the
plurality of objects are moved in accordance with the determined
movement of the single touch area without using a cursor.
16. A graphical user interface on a computing device with a touch
screen display, comprising: a plurality of objects; wherein: a
single finger contact is detected on the touch screen display; a
single touch area is created that corresponds to the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; whether the single touch area
concurrently overlaps with a plurality of objects displayed on the
touch screen display is determined; the plurality of objects are
connected with the single touch area if each object in the
plurality of objects is determined to concurrently overlap the
single touch area, wherein connecting the plurality of objects with
the single touch area maintains the overlap between the single
touch area and each object in the plurality of objects when the
single touch area is moved in accordance with detected movement of
the single finger contact; after connecting the plurality of
objects with the single touch area, movement of the single finger
contact is detected on the touch screen display; movement of the
single touch area that corresponds to movement of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display is determined; and the
connected plurality of objects that concurrently overlap the single
touch area are moved in accordance with the determined movement of
the single touch area.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to the following applications: (1) U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/188,182, "Touch Pad For Handheld
Device," filed Jul. 1, 2002; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No.
10/722,948, "Touch Pad For Handheld Device," filed Nov. 25, 2003;
(3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/643,256, "Movable Touch Pad
With Added Functionality," filed Aug. 18, 2003; (4) U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/654,108, "Ambidextrous Mouse," filed Sep.
2, 2003; (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/840,862,
"Multipoint Touchscreen," filed May 6, 2004; (6) U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/903,964, "Gestures For Touch Sensitive
Input Devices," filed Jul. 30, 2004; (7) U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/038,590, "Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For
Touch Sensitive Input Devices" filed Jan. 18, 2005; (8) U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/057,050, "Display Actuator," filed Feb. 11,
2005; (9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,749,
"Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device," filed Mar. 3, 2006; and (10)
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/850,635, "Touch Screen Device,
Method, and Graphical User Interface for Determining Commands by
Applying Heuristics," filed Sep. 5, 2007. All of these applications
are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The disclosed embodiments relate generally to electronic devices
with touch screen displays, and more particularly, to electronic
devices that use one or more finger contacts to move on-screen
objects without using a cursor to move the objects.
BACKGROUND
The use of touch screen displays as input devices for computers and
other electronic devices has increased significantly in recent
years. Some touch screen displays permit direct finger manipulation
of on-screen objects in a manner that resembles manipulation of
physical objects in the physical world, rather than requiring
indirect manipulation of on-screen objects (e.g., via a cursor). In
general, touch screen interfaces that closely emulate the physical
world provide a more transparent and intuitive experience to a user
because the user can simply use the touch screen interface based on
their understanding of the physical world.
But existing touch screen interfaces with direct finger
manipulation of on-screen objects have limitations in their
abilities to emulate interaction with real world objects. For
example, touch screen interfaces typically convert a finger contact
on the touch screen into a single point (e.g., the centroid of the
detected finger contact) and then use this point to interact with
objects on the touch screen. If the single point does not overlap
with an on-screen object, even though other parts of the finger
contact do overlap with the object, then the object may not be
selected for manipulation by the user. Thus, more precise
positioning of the finger contact is needed to interact with an
object, which in turn obscures more of the object during
manipulation. In addition, with each finger contact converted to a
single point, at least two fingers are required to rotate an
object.
Accordingly, there is a need for electronic devices with more
transparent and intuitive user interfaces for moving on-screen
objects in accordance with finger contacts and movements on a touch
screen display without using a cursor to move the objects. Such
interfaces increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and user
satisfaction with electronic devices with touch screen
displays.
SUMMARY
The above deficiencies and other problems associated with user
interfaces for electronic devices with touch screen displays are
reduced or eliminated by the disclosed devices. In some
embodiments, the device is portable. In some embodiments, the
device has a touch-sensitive display (also known as a "touch
screen" or "touch screen display") with a graphical user interface
(GUI), one or more processors, memory and one or more modules,
programs or sets of instructions stored in the memory for
performing multiple functions. In some embodiments, the user
interacts with the GUI primarily through finger contacts and
gestures on the touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments, the
functions may include game playing, telephoning, video
conferencing, e-mailing, instant messaging, blogging, digital
photographing, digital videoing, web browsing, digital music
playing, and/or digital video playing. Instructions for performing
these functions may be included in a computer readable storage
medium or other computer program product configured for execution
by one or more processors.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method
is performed at an electronic device with a touch screen display.
The computer-implemented method includes: displaying a plurality of
objects on the touch screen display; detecting single finger
contact on the touch screen display; creating a touch area that
corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch screen
display; determining a representative point within the touch area;
and determining if the touch area overlaps an object in the
plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen display.
Determining if the touch area overlaps the object includes
determining if one or more portions of the touch area other than
the representative point overlap the object. The
computer-implemented method further includes connecting the object
with the touch area if the touch area is determined to overlap the
object. Connecting the object with the touch area maintains the
overlap of the object and the touch area. The computer-implemented
method further includes: after connecting the object with the touch
area, detecting movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; determining movement of the touch area that
corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; and moving the object connected with the touch area
in accordance with the determined movement of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computing device includes a
touch screen display, one or more processors, memory, and one or
more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory
and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The
one or more programs include instructions for: displaying a
plurality of objects on the touch screen display; detecting a
single finger contact on the touch screen display; creating a touch
area that corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; determining a representative point within the touch
area; and determining if the touch area overlaps an object in the
plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen display.
Determining if the touch area overlaps the object includes
determining if one or more portions of the touch area other than
the representative point overlap the object. The one or more
programs further include instructions for connecting the object
with the touch area if the touch area is determined to overlap the
object. Connecting the object with the touch area maintains the
overlap of the object and the touch area. The one or more programs
further include instructions for: after connecting the object with
the touch area, detecting movement of the single finger contact on
the touch screen display; determining movement of the touch area
that corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display; and moving the object connected with the
touch area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch
area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage
medium has stored therein instructions which when executed by a
computing device with a touch screen display, cause the device to:
display a plurality of objects on the touch screen display; detect
a single finger contact on the touch screen display; create a touch
area that corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; determine a representative point within the touch
area; determine if the touch area overlaps an object in the
plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen display, wherein
determining if the touch area overlaps the object includes
determining if one or more portions of the touch area other than
the representative point overlap the object; connect the object
with the touch area if the touch area is determined to overlap the
object, wherein connecting the object with the touch area maintains
the overlap of the object and the touch area; after connecting the
object with the touch area, detect movement of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; determine movement of the
touch area that corresponds to movement of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; and move the object connected
with the touch area in accordance with the determined movement of
the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on
a computing device with a touch screen display includes a plurality
of objects. The plurality of objects are displayed on the touch
screen display. A single finger contact is detected on the touch
screen display. A touch area is created that corresponds to the
single finger contact on the touch screen display. A representative
point is determined within the touch area. Whether the touch area
overlaps an object in the plurality of objects displayed on the
touch screen display is determined. The determination includes
determining if one or more portions of the touch area other than
the representative point overlap the object. The object is
connected with the touch area if the touch area is determined to
overlap the object. Connecting the object with the touch area
maintains the overlap of the object and the touch area. After
connecting the object with the touch area, movement of the single
finger contact is detected on the touch screen display. Movement of
the touch area is determined that corresponds to movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display. The object
connected with the touch area is moved in accordance with the
determined movement of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computing device includes: a
touch screen display; means for displaying a plurality of objects
on the touch screen display; means for detecting a single finger
contact on the touch screen display; means for creating a touch
area that corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; means for determining a representative point within
the touch area; means for determining if the touch area overlaps an
object in the plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen
display, wherein determining if the touch area overlaps the object
includes determining if one or more portions of the touch area
other than the representative point overlap the object; means for
connecting the object with the touch area if the touch area is
determined to overlap the object, wherein connecting the object
with the touch area maintains the overlap of the object and the
touch area; means for after connecting the object with the touch
area, detecting movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; means for determining movement of the touch area
that corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display; and means for moving the object connected
with the touch area in accordance with the determined movement of
the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method
is performed at an electronic device with a touch screen display.
The computer-implemented method includes: displaying a plurality of
objects on the touch screen display; detecting a single finger
contact on the touch screen display; and creating a touch area that
corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch screen
display. The touch area includes a perimeter. The
computer-implemented method further includes: determining a
representative point within the touch area; for an object in the
plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen display,
determining if the representative point of the touch area overlaps
the object; determining if the perimeter of the touch area overlaps
the object; and determining if a portion of the touch area between
the representative point of the touch area and the perimeter of the
touch area overlaps the object; and connecting the object with the
touch area if the touch area is determined to overlap the object.
Connecting the object with the touch area maintains the overlap of
the object and the touch area. The computer-implemented method
further includes: after connecting the object with the touch area,
detecting movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display; determining movement of the touch area that corresponds to
movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen display;
and moving the object connected with the touch area in accordance
with the determined movement of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computing device includes: a
touch screen display; one or more processors; memory; and one or
more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory
and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The
one or more programs include instructions for: displaying a
plurality of objects on the touch screen display; detecting a
single finger contact on the touch screen display; creating a touch
area that corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch
screen display, wherein the touch area includes a perimeter;
determining a representative point within the touch area; for an
object in the plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen
display: determining if the representative point of the touch area
overlaps the object; determining if the perimeter of the touch area
overlaps the object; and determining if a portion of the touch area
between the representative point of the touch area and the
perimeter of the touch area overlaps the object; connecting the
object with the touch area if the touch area is determined to
overlap the object, wherein connecting the object with the touch
area maintains the overlap of the object and the touch area; after
connecting the object with the touch area, detecting movement of
the single finger contact on the touch screen display; determining
movement of the touch area that corresponds to movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display; and moving the
object connected with the touch area in accordance with the
determined movement of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage
medium has stored therein instructions, which when executed by a
computing device with a touch screen display, cause the computing
device to: display a plurality of objects on the touch screen
display; detect a single finger contact on the touch screen
display; create a touch area that corresponds to the single finger
contact on the touch screen display, wherein the touch area
includes a perimeter; determine a representative point within the
touch area; for an object in the plurality of objects displayed on
the touch screen display: determine if the representative point of
the touch area overlaps the object; determine if the perimeter of
the touch area overlaps the object; and determine if a portion of
the touch area between the representative point of the touch area
and the perimeter of the touch area overlaps the object; connect
the object with the touch area if the touch area is determined to
overlap the object, wherein connecting the object with the touch
area maintains the overlap of the object and the touch area; after
connecting the object with the touch area, detect movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display; determine
movement of the touch area that corresponds to movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display; and move the
object connected with the touch area in accordance with the
determined movement of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on
a computing device with a touch screen display includes a plurality
of objects. The plurality of objects are displayed on the touch
screen display. A single finger contact is detected on the touch
screen display. A touch area is created that corresponds to the
single finger contact on the touch screen display. The touch area
includes a perimeter. A representative point is determined within
the touch area. For an object in the plurality of objects displayed
on the touch screen display: whether the representative point of
the touch area overlaps the object is determined; whether the
perimeter of the touch area overlaps the object is determined; and
whether a portion of the touch area between the representative
point of the touch area and the perimeter of the touch area
overlaps the object is determined. The object is connected with the
touch area if the touch area is determined to overlap the object.
Connecting the object with the touch area maintains the overlap of
the object and the touch area. After connecting the object with the
touch area, movement of the single finger contact is detected on
the touch screen display. Movement of the touch area is determined
that corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display. The object connected with the touch area is
moved in accordance with the determined movement of the touch
area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a portable electronic device
includes: a touch screen display; means for displaying a plurality
of objects on the touch screen display; means for detecting a
single finger contact on the touch screen display; means for
creating a touch area that corresponds to the single finger contact
on the touch screen display, wherein the touch area includes a
perimeter; means for determining a representative point within the
touch area; for an object in the plurality of objects displayed on
the touch screen display: means for determining if the
representative point of the touch area overlaps the object; means
for determining if the perimeter of the touch area overlaps the
object; and means for determining if a portion of the touch area
between the representative point of the touch area and the
perimeter of the touch area overlaps the object; means for
connecting the object with the touch area if the touch area is
determined to overlap the object, wherein connecting the object
with the touch area maintains the overlap of the object and the
touch area; means for after connecting the object with the touch
area, detecting movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; means for determining movement of the touch area
that corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display; and means for moving the object connected
with the touch area in accordance with the determined movement of
the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method
is performed at an electronic device with a touch screen display.
The computer-implemented method includes: displaying a plurality of
objects on the touch screen display; detecting a single finger
contact on the touch screen display; creating a touch area that
corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch screen
display; determining if the touch area overlaps an object in the
plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen display;
connecting the object with the touch area if the touch area is
determined to overlap the object; after connecting the object with
the touch area, detecting rotation of the single finger contact on
the touch screen display; determining rotation of the touch area
that corresponds to rotation of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display; and rotating the object connected with the
touch area in accordance with the determined rotation of the touch
area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computing device includes: a
touch screen display; one or more processors; memory; and one or
more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory
and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The
one or more programs include instructions for: displaying a
plurality of objects on the touch screen display; detecting a
single finger contact on the touch screen display; creating a touch
area that corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; determining if the touch area overlaps an object in
the plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen display;
connecting the object with the touch area if the touch area is
determined to overlap the object; after connecting the object with
the touch area, detecting rotation of the single finger contact on
the touch screen display; determining rotation of the touch area
that corresponds to rotation of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display; and rotating the object connected with the
touch area in accordance with the determined rotation of the touch
area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage
medium has stored therein instructions, which when executed by a
computing device with a touch screen display, cause the computing
device to: display a plurality of objects on the touch screen
display; detect a single finger contact on the touch screen
display; create a touch area that corresponds to the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; determine if the touch area
overlaps an object in the plurality of objects displayed on the
touch screen display; connect the object with the touch area if the
touch area is determined to overlap the object; after connecting
the object with the touch area, detect rotation of the single
finger contact on the touch screen display; determine rotation of
the touch area that corresponds to rotation of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; and rotate the object
connected with the touch area in accordance with the determined
rotation of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on
a computing device with a touch screen display includes a plurality
of objects. The plurality of objects are displayed on the touch
screen display. A single finger contact is detected on the touch
screen display. A touch area is created that corresponds to the
single finger contact on the touch screen display. Whether the
touch area overlaps an object in the plurality of objects displayed
on the touch screen display is determined. The object is connected
with the touch area if the touch area is determined to overlap the
object. After connecting the object with the touch area, rotation
of the single finger contact is detected on the touch screen
display. Rotation of the touch area is determined that corresponds
to rotation of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display. The object connected with the touch area is rotated in
accordance with the determined rotation of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a portable electronic device
includes: a touch screen display; means for displaying a plurality
of objects on the touch screen display; means for detecting a
single finger contact on the touch screen display; means for
creating a touch area that corresponds to the single finger contact
on the touch screen display; means for determining if the touch
area overlaps an object in the plurality of objects displayed on
the touch screen display; means for connecting the object with the
touch area if the touch area is determined to overlap the object;
means for after connecting the object with the touch area,
detecting rotation of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display; means for determining rotation of the touch area that
corresponds to rotation of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; and means for rotating the object connected with
the touch area in accordance with the determined rotation of the
touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method
is performed at an electronic device with a touch screen display.
The computer-implemented method includes: displaying a plurality of
objects on the touch screen display; detecting a single finger
contact on the touch screen display; creating a touch area that
corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch screen
display; detecting movement of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display; determining movement of the touch area that
corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; while detecting movement of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display, detecting intersection of the
touch area with an object in the plurality of objects on the touch
screen display; and, in response to detecting intersection of the
touch area with the object, moving the object such that the object
ceases to intersect the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computing device includes: a
touch screen display; one or more processors; memory; and one or
more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory
and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The
one or more programs include: instructions for: displaying a
plurality of objects on the touch screen display; detecting a
single finger contact on the touch screen display; creating a touch
area that corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch
screen display; detecting movement of the single finger contact on
the touch screen display; determining movement of the touch area
that corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display; while detecting movement of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display, detecting intersection of the
touch area with an object in the plurality of objects on the touch
screen display; and, in response to detecting intersection of the
touch area with the object, moving the object such that the object
ceases to intersect the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage
medium has stored therein instructions, which when executed by a
computing device with a touch screen display, cause the computing
device to: display a plurality of objects on the touch screen
display; detect a single finger contact on the touch screen
display; create a touch area that corresponds to the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; detect movement of the single
finger contact on the touch screen display; determine movement of
the touch area that corresponds to movement of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; while detecting movement of
the single finger contact on the touch screen display, detect
intersection of the touch area with an object in the plurality of
objects on the touch screen display; and, in response to detecting
intersection of the touch area with the object, move the object
such that the object ceases to intersect the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on
a computing device with a touch screen display includes a plurality
of objects. The plurality of objects are displayed on the touch
screen display. A single finger contact is detected on the touch
screen display. A touch area is created that corresponds to the
single finger contact on the touch screen display. Movement of the
single finger contact is detected on the touch screen display.
Movement of the touch area is determined that corresponds to
movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen display.
While detecting movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display, intersection of the touch area with an object in
the plurality of objects on the touch screen display is detected.
In response to detecting intersection of the touch area with the
object, the object is moved such that the object ceases to
intersect the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a portable electronic device
includes: a touch screen display; means for displaying a plurality
of objects on the touch screen display; means for detecting a
single finger contact on the touch screen display; means for
creating a touch area that corresponds to the single finger contact
on the touch screen display; means for detecting movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display; means for
determining movement of the touch area that corresponds to movement
of the single finger contact on the touch screen display; means for
while detecting movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display, detecting intersection of the touch area with an
object in the plurality of objects on the touch screen display; and
means for, in response to detecting intersection of the touch area
with the object, moving the object such that the object ceases to
intersect the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method
is performed at an electronic device with a touch screen display.
The computer-implemented method includes: detecting a single finger
contact on the touch screen display; creating a touch area that
corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch screen
display; determining if the touch area overlaps with a plurality of
objects displayed on the touch screen display; and connecting the
plurality of objects with the touch area if each object in the
plurality of objects is determined to overlap the touch area.
Connecting the plurality of objects with the touch area maintains
the overlap between the touch area and each object in the plurality
of objects. The computer-implemented method further includes: after
connecting the plurality of objects with the touch area, detecting
movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen display;
determining movement of the touch area that corresponds to movement
of the single finger contact on the touch screen display; and
moving the plurality of objects connected with the touch area in
accordance with the determined movement of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computing device includes: a
touch screen display; one or more processors; memory; and one or
more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory
and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The
one or more programs include instructions for: detecting a single
finger contact on the touch screen display; creating a touch area
that corresponds to the single finger contact on the touch screen
display; determining if the touch area overlaps with a plurality of
objects displayed on the touch screen display; connecting the
plurality of objects with the touch area if each object in the
plurality of objects is determined to overlap the touch area,
wherein connecting the plurality of objects with the touch area
maintains the overlap between the touch area and each object in the
plurality of objects; after connecting the plurality of objects
with the touch area, detecting movement of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; determining movement of the
touch area that corresponds to movement of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; and moving the plurality of
objects connected with the touch area in accordance with the
determined movement of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage
medium has stored therein instructions, which when executed by a
computing device with a touch screen display, cause the computing
device to: detect a single finger contact on the touch screen
display; create a touch area that corresponds to the single finger
contact on the touch screen display; determine if the touch area
overlaps with a plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen
display; connect the plurality of objects with the touch area if
each object in the plurality of objects is determined to overlap
the touch area, wherein connecting the plurality of objects with
the touch area maintains the overlap between the touch area and
each object in the plurality of objects; after connecting the
plurality of objects with the touch area, detect movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display; determine
movement of the touch area that corresponds to movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display; and move the
plurality of objects connected with the touch area in accordance
with the determined movement of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on
a computing device with a touch screen display includes a plurality
of objects. A single finger contact is detected on the touch screen
display. A touch area is created that corresponds to the single
finger contact on the touch screen display. Whether the touch area
overlaps with a plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen
display is determined. The plurality of objects are connected with
the touch area if each object in the plurality of objects is
determined to overlap the touch area. Connecting the plurality of
objects with the touch area maintains the overlap between the touch
area and each object in the plurality of objects. After connecting
the plurality of objects with the touch area, movement of the
single finger contact is detected on the touch screen display.
Movement of the touch area that corresponds to movement of the
single finger contact on the touch screen display is determined.
The plurality of objects connected with the touch area are moved in
accordance with the determined movement of the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a portable electronic device
includes: a touch screen display; means for detecting a single
finger contact on the touch screen display; means for creating a
touch area that corresponds to the single finger contact on the
touch screen display; means for determining if the touch area
overlaps with a plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen
display; means for connecting the plurality of objects with the
touch area if each object in the plurality of objects is determined
to overlap the touch area, wherein connecting the plurality of
objects with the touch area maintains the overlap between the touch
area and each object in the plurality of objects; means for after
connecting the plurality of objects with the touch area, detecting
movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen display;
means for determining movement of the touch area that corresponds
to movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display; and means for moving the plurality of objects connected
with the touch area in accordance with the determined movement of
the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method
is performed at an electronic device with a touch screen display.
The computer-implemented method includes: displaying a plurality of
objects on the touch screen display; and simultaneously detecting a
plurality of finger contacts on the touch screen display. For each
respective finger contact in the plurality of detected finger
contacts, the method further includes: creating a respective touch
area that corresponds to the respective finger contact on the touch
screen display; determining a respective representative point
within the respective touch area; determining if the respective
touch area overlaps a respective object in the plurality of objects
displayed on the touch screen display, wherein determining if the
respective touch area overlaps the respective object includes
determining if one or more portions of the respective touch area
other than the respective representative point overlap the
respective object; connecting the respective object with the
respective touch area if the respective object is determined to
overlap the respective touch area, wherein connecting the
respective object with the respective touch area maintains the
overlap of the respective object and the respective touch area;
after connecting the respective object with the respective touch
area, detecting movement of the respective finger contact on the
touch screen display; determining movement of the respective touch
area that corresponds to movement of the respective finger contact
on the touch screen display; and moving the respective object
connected with the respective touch area in accordance with the
determined movement of the respective touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, an computing device includes:
a touch screen display; one or more processors; memory; and one or
more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory
and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The
one or more programs include instructions for: displaying a
plurality of objects on the touch screen display; and
simultaneously detecting a plurality of finger contacts on the
touch screen display. For each respective finger contact in the
plurality of detected finger contacts, the one or more programs
further include instructions for: creating a respective touch area
that corresponds to the respective finger contact on the touch
screen display; determining a respective representative point
within the respective touch area; determining if the respective
touch area overlaps a respective object in the plurality of objects
displayed on the touch screen display, wherein determining if the
respective touch area overlaps the respective object includes
determining if one or more portions of the respective touch area
other than the respective representative point overlap the
respective object; connecting the respective object with the
respective touch area if the respective object is determined to
overlap the respective touch area, wherein connecting the
respective object with the respective touch area maintains the
overlap of the respective object and the respective touch area;
after connecting the respective object with the respective touch
area, detecting movement of the respective finger contact on the
touch screen display; determining movement of the respective touch
area that corresponds to movement of the respective finger contact
on the touch screen display; and moving the respective object
connected with the respective touch area in accordance with the
determined movement of the respective touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage
medium has stored therein instructions, which when executed by a
computing device with a touch screen display, cause the computing
device to: display a plurality of objects on the touch screen
display; and simultaneously detect a plurality of finger contacts
on the touch screen display. For each respective finger contact in
the plurality of detected finger contacts, the instructions further
cause the computing device to: create a respective touch area that
corresponds to the respective finger contact on the touch screen
display; determine a respective representative point within the
respective touch area; determine if the respective touch area
overlaps a respective object in the plurality of objects displayed
on the touch screen display, wherein determining if the respective
touch area overlaps the respective object includes determining if
one or more portions of the respective touch area other than the
respective representative point overlap the respective object;
connect the respective object with the respective touch area if the
respective object is determined to overlap the respective touch
area, wherein connecting the respective object with the respective
touch area maintains the overlap of the respective object and the
respective touch area; after connecting the respective object with
the respective touch area, detect movement of the respective finger
contact on the touch screen display; determine movement of the
respective touch area that corresponds to movement of the
respective finger contact on the touch screen display; and move the
respective object connected with the respective touch area in
accordance with the determined movement of the respective touch
area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on
a computing device with a touch screen display includes a plurality
of objects. The plurality of objects are displayed on the touch
screen display. A plurality of finger contacts on the touch screen
display are simultaneously detected. For each respective finger
contact in the plurality of detected finger contacts: a respective
touch area is created that corresponds to the respective finger
contact on the touch screen display; a respective representative
point within the respective touch area is determined; whether the
respective touch area overlaps a respective object in the plurality
of objects displayed on the touch screen display is determined,
wherein the determination includes determining if one or more
portions of the respective touch area other than the respective
representative point overlap the respective object; the respective
object is connected with the respective touch area if the
respective object is determined to overlap the respective touch
area, wherein connecting the respective object with the respective
touch area maintains the overlap of the respective object and the
respective touch area; after connecting the respective object with
the respective touch area, movement of the respective finger
contact is detected on the touch screen display; movement of the
respective touch area is determined that corresponds to movement of
the respective finger contact on the touch screen display; and the
respective object connected with the respective touch area is moved
in accordance with the determined movement of the respective touch
area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a portable electronic device
includes: a touch screen display; means for displaying a plurality
of objects on the touch screen display; and means for
simultaneously detecting a plurality of finger contacts on the
touch screen display. For each respective finger contact in the
plurality of detected finger contacts, the device further includes:
means for creating a respective touch area that corresponds to the
respective finger contact on the touch screen display; means for
determining a respective representative point within the respective
touch area; means for determining if the respective touch area
overlaps a respective object in the plurality of objects displayed
on the touch screen display, wherein the means for determining if
the respective touch area overlaps the respective object includes
means for determining if one or more portions of the respective
touch area other than the respective representative point overlap
the respective object; means for connecting the respective object
with the respective touch area if the respective object is
determined to overlap the respective touch area, wherein connecting
the respective object with the respective touch area maintains the
overlap of the respective object and the respective touch area;
means for after connecting the respective object with the
respective touch area, detecting movement of the respective finger
contact on the touch screen display; means for determining movement
of the respective touch area that corresponds to movement of the
respective finger contact on the touch screen display; and means
for moving the respective object connected with the respective
touch area in accordance with the determined movement of the
respective touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method
is performed at an electronic device with a touch screen display.
The computer-implemented method includes: displaying a plurality of
objects on the touch screen display; and detecting a hand edge
contact on the touch screen display. The hand edge contact
comprises a pinky finger edge contact and a palm edge contact. The
computer-implemented method further includes: creating a touch area
that corresponds to the hand edge contact on the touch screen
display; detecting movement of the hand edge contact on the touch
screen display; determining movement of the touch area that
corresponds to movement of the hand edge contact on the touch
screen display; while detecting movement of the hand edge contact
on the touch screen display, detecting intersection of the touch
area with an object in the plurality of objects on the touch screen
display; and, in response to detecting intersection of the touch
area with the object, moving the object such that the object ceases
to intersect the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computing device includes: a
touch screen display; one or more processors; memory; and one or
more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory
and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The
one or more programs include instructions for: displaying a
plurality of objects on the touch screen display; detecting a hand
edge contact on the touch screen display, wherein the hand edge
contact comprises a pinky finger edge contact and a palm edge
contact; creating a touch area that corresponds to the hand edge
contact on the touch screen display; detecting movement of the hand
edge contact on the touch screen display; determining movement of
the touch area that corresponds to movement of the hand edge
contact on the touch screen display; while detecting movement of
the hand edge contact on the touch screen display, detecting
intersection of the touch area with an object in the plurality of
objects on the touch screen display; and, in response to detecting
intersection of the touch area with the object, moving the object
such that the object ceases to intersect the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage
medium has stored therein instructions, which when executed by a
computing device with a touch screen display, cause the computing
device to: display a plurality of objects on the touch screen
display; detect a hand edge contact on the touch screen display,
wherein the hand edge contact comprises a pinky finger edge contact
and a palm edge contact; create a touch area that corresponds to
the hand edge contact on the touch screen display; detect movement
of the hand edge contact on the touch screen display; determine
movement of the touch area that corresponds to movement of the hand
edge contact on the touch screen display; while detecting movement
of the hand edge contact on the touch screen display, detect
intersection of the touch area with an object in the plurality of
objects on the touch screen display; and, in response to detecting
intersection of the touch area with the object, move the object
such that the object ceases to intersect the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on
a computing device with a touch screen display includes a plurality
of objects. The plurality of objects are displayed on the touch
screen display. A hand edge contact is detected on the touch screen
display. The hand edge contact comprises a pinky finger edge
contact and a palm edge contact. A touch area is created that
corresponds to the hand edge contact on the touch screen display.
Movement of the hand edge contact is detected on the touch screen
display. Movement of the touch area is determined that corresponds
to movement of the hand edge contact on the touch screen display.
While detecting movement of the hand edge contact on the touch
screen display, intersection of the touch area with an object in
the plurality of objects on the touch screen display is detected.
In response to detecting intersection of the touch area with the
object, the object is moved such that the object ceases to
intersect the touch area.
In accordance with some embodiments, a portable electronic device
includes: a touch screen display; means for displaying a plurality
of objects on the touch screen display; means for detecting a hand
edge contact on the touch screen display, wherein the hand edge
contact comprises a pinky finger edge contact and a palm edge
contact; means for creating a touch area that corresponds to the
hand edge contact on the touch screen display; means for detecting
movement of the hand edge contact on the touch screen display;
means for determining movement of the touch area that corresponds
to movement of the hand edge contact on the touch screen display;
means for while detecting movement of the hand edge contact on the
touch screen display, detecting intersection of the touch area with
an object in the plurality of objects on the touch screen display;
and means for, in response to detecting intersection of the touch
area with the object, moving the object such that the object ceases
to intersect the touch area.
Thus, devices with touch screen displays are provided with more
intuitive interfaces that use direct finger manipulation to
contact, move, and interact with objects on the touch screen
display, thereby increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, and user
satisfaction with such devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the aforementioned embodiments of the
invention as well as additional embodiments thereof, reference
should be made to the Description of Embodiments below, in
conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference
numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the figures.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating portable
multifunction devices with touch-sensitive displays in accordance
with some embodiments.
FIG. 2 illustrates a portable multifunction device having a touch
screen in accordance with some embodiments.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device with a
touch screen display in accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary user interfaces for a menu of
applications on a portable multifunction device in accordance with
some embodiments.
FIG. 5A illustrates an overhead view of an exemplary finger in
contact with a touch screen display in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIG. 5B illustrates a side view of the finger and the touch screen
of FIG. 5A.
FIG. 5C illustrates the components of a touch area in accordance
with some embodiments.
FIGS. 5D-5F illustrate hit regions for on-screen objects in
accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 6A-6F illustrate various degrees and types of overlap of a
touch area with an object displayed on the touch screen display in
accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 7A-7E illustrate touch areas created by modeling a single
finger contact as a geometric object in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIG. 8A illustrates translating an on-screen object in a graphical
user interface on a touch screen display in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIG. 8B illustrates rotating an on-screen object in a graphical
user interface on a touch screen display in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIG. 8C illustrates simultaneously translating and rotating an
on-screen object in a graphical user interface on a touch screen
display in accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate two-dimensional and simulated
three-dimensional on-screen objects modeled as a set of vertices in
accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate moving an unconnected on-screen object in
response to intersection with a connected on-screen object in a
graphical user interface on a touch screen display in accordance
with some embodiments.
FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate moving an unconnected on-screen object in
response to intersection with a connected on-screen object in a
graphical user interface on a touch screen display, where both
objects are modeled as a set of vertices, in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate moving an on-screen object in response to
intersection with a touch area in a graphical user interface on a
touch screen display in accordance with some embodiments.
FIG. 13A illustrates translating multiple on-screen objects in a
graphical user interface on a touch screen display in accordance
with some embodiments.
FIG. 13B illustrates rotating multiple on-screen objects in a
graphical user interface on a touch screen display in accordance
with some embodiments.
FIG. 13C illustrates simultaneously translating and rotating
multiple on-screen objects in a graphical user interface on a touch
screen display in accordance with some embodiments.
FIG. 13D illustrates simultaneously translating and rotating
multiple on-screen objects in a graphical user interface on a touch
screen display in accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 14A-14C illustrate moving on-screen objects in a graphical
user interface on a touch screen display in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIGS. 15A-15B illustrate a touch area overlapping with one or more
vertices of an on-screen object in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIGS. 16A-16G are flow diagrams illustrating a method of moving an
on-screen object with a single finger in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of moving an
on-screen object with a single finger in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of rotating an
on-screen object with a single finger in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of moving an
on-screen object with a single finger in accordance with some
embodiments.
FIG. 20 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of moving a
plurality of on-screen objects with a single finger in accordance
with some embodiments.
FIGS. 21A-21B are flow diagrams illustrating a method of
simultaneously moving multiple on-screen objects with multiple
fingers in accordance with some embodiments.
FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of moving an object
with a hand edge contact in accordance with some embodiments.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of
which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the
following detailed description, numerous specific details are set
forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present
invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in
the art that the present invention may be practiced without these
specific details. In other instances, well-known methods,
procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been
described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of
the embodiments.
It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second,
etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these
elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only
used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first
gesture could be termed a second gesture, and, similarly, a second
gesture could be termed a first gesture, without departing from the
scope of the present invention.
The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is
for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is
not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the
description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular
forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms
as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will
also be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein refers to
and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of
the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the
terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
As used herein, the term "if" may be construed to mean "when" or
"upon" or "in response to determining" or "in response to
detecting," depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase "if it
is determined" or "if [a stated condition or event] is detected"
may be construed to mean "upon determining" or "in response to
determining" or "upon detecting [the stated condition or event]" or
"in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],"
depending on the context.
Embodiments of an electronic device, user interfaces for such
devices, and associated processes for using such devices are
described. In some embodiments, the device is a portable
communications device such as a mobile telephone that also contains
other functions, such as PDA and/or music player functions.
The user interface may include a physical click wheel in addition
to a touch screen or a virtual click wheel displayed on the touch
screen. A click wheel is a user-interface device that may provide
navigation commands based on an angular displacement of the wheel
or a point of contact with the wheel by a user of the device. A
click wheel may also be used to provide a user command
corresponding to selection of one or more items, for example, when
the user of the device presses down on at least a portion of the
wheel or the center of the wheel. Alternatively, breaking contact
with a click wheel image on a touch screen surface may indicate a
user command corresponding to selection. For simplicity, in the
discussion that follows, a portable multifunction device that
includes a touch screen is used as an exemplary embodiment. It
should be understood, however, that some of the user interfaces and
associated processes may be applied to other devices, such as
personal computers and laptop computers, which may include one or
more other physical user-interface devices, such as a physical
click wheel, a physical keyboard, a mouse and/or a joystick.
The device supports a variety of applications, such as one or more
of the following: a gaming application, a telephone application, a
video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant
messaging application, a blogging application, a photo management
application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera
application, a web browsing application, a digital music player
application, and/or a digital video player application.
The various applications that may be executed on the device may use
at least one common physical user-interface device, such as the
touch screen. One or more functions of the touch screen as well as
corresponding information displayed on the device may be adjusted
and/or varied from one application to the next and/or within a
respective application. In this way, a common physical architecture
(such as the touch screen) of the device may support the variety of
applications with user interfaces that are intuitive and
transparent.
The user interfaces may include one or more soft keyboard
embodiments. The soft keyboard embodiments may include standard
(QWERTY) and/or non-standard configurations of symbols on the
displayed icons of the keyboard, such as those described in U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/459,606, "Keyboards For Portable
Electronic Devices," filed Jul. 24, 2006, and Ser. No. 11/459,615,
"Touch Screen Keyboards For Portable Electronic Devices," filed
Jul. 24, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by
reference in their entirety. The keyboard embodiments may include a
reduced number of icons (or soft keys) relative to the number of
keys in existing physical keyboards, such as that for a typewriter.
This may make it easier for users to select one or more icons in
the keyboard, and thus, one or more corresponding symbols. The
keyboard embodiments may be adaptive. For example, displayed icons
may be modified in accordance with user actions, such as selecting
one or more icons and/or one or more corresponding symbols. One or
more applications on the portable device may utilize common and/or
different keyboard embodiments. Thus, the keyboard embodiment used
may be tailored to at least some of the applications. In some
embodiments, one or more keyboard embodiments may be tailored to a
respective user. For example, one or more keyboard embodiments may
be tailored to a respective user based on a word usage history
(lexicography, slang, individual usage) of the respective user.
Some of the keyboard embodiments may be adjusted to reduce a
probability of a user error when selecting one or more icons, and
thus one or more symbols, when using the soft keyboard
embodiments.
Attention is now directed towards embodiments of devices with
touch-sensitive displays. FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams
illustrating portable multifunction devices 100 with
touch-sensitive displays 112 in accordance with some embodiments.
The touch-sensitive display 112 is sometimes called a "touch
screen" for convenience, and may also be known as or called a
touch-sensitive display system. The device 100 may include a memory
102 (which may include one or more computer readable storage
mediums), a memory controller 122, one or more processing units
(CPU's) 120, a peripherals interface 118, RF circuitry 108, audio
circuitry 110, a speaker 111, a microphone 113, an input/output
(I/O) subsystem 106, other input or control devices 116, and an
external port 124. The device 100 may include one or more optical
sensors 164. These components may communicate over one or more
communication buses or signal lines 103.
It should be appreciated that the device 100 is only one example of
a portable multifunction device 100, and that the device 100 may
have more or fewer components than shown, may combine two or more
components, or a may have a different configuration or arrangement
of the components. The various components shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B
may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination of both
hardware and software, including one or more signal processing
and/or application specific integrated circuits.
Memory 102 may include high-speed random access memory and may also
include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk
storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile
solid-state memory devices. Access to memory 102 by other
components of the device 100, such as the CPU 120 and the
peripherals interface 118, may be controlled by the memory
controller 122.
The peripherals interface 118 couples the input and output
peripherals of the device to the CPU 120 and memory 102. The one or
more processors 120 run or execute various software programs and/or
sets of instructions stored in memory 102 to perform various
functions for the device 100 and to process data.
In some embodiments, the peripherals interface 118, the CPU 120,
and the memory controller 122 may be implemented on a single chip,
such as a chip 104. In some other embodiments, they may be
implemented on separate chips.
The RF (radio frequency) circuitry 108 receives and sends RF
signals, also called electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry 108
converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and
communicates with communications networks and other communications
devices via the electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry 108 may
include well-known circuitry for performing these functions,
including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver,
one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital
signal processor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module
(SIM) card, memory, and so forth. The RF circuitry 108 may
communicate with networks, such as the Internet, also referred to
as the World Wide Web (WWW), an intranet and/or a wireless network,
such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network
(LAN) and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices
by wireless communication. The wireless communication may use any
of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and
technologies, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE),
high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), wideband code division
multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA),
time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity
(Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE
802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol
for email (e.g., Internet message access protocol (IMAP) and/or
post office protocol (POP)), instant messaging (e.g., extensible
messaging and presence protocol (XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol
for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE),
and/or Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS)), and/or Short
Message Service (SMS)), or any other suitable communication
protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of
the filing date of this document.
The audio circuitry 110, the speaker 111, and the microphone 113
provide an audio interface between a user and the device 100. The
audio circuitry 110 receives audio data from the peripherals
interface 118, converts the audio data to an electrical signal, and
transmits the electrical signal to the speaker 111. The speaker 111
converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. The
audio circuitry 110 also receives electrical signals converted by
the microphone 113 from sound waves. The audio circuitry 110
converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the
audio data to the peripherals interface 118 for processing. Audio
data may be retrieved from and/or transmitted to memory 102 and/or
the RF circuitry 108 by the peripherals interface 118. In some
embodiments, the audio circuitry 110 also includes a headset jack
(e.g. 212, FIG. 2). The headset jack provides an interface between
the audio circuitry 110 and removable audio input/output
peripherals, such as output-only headphones or a headset with both
output (e.g., a headphone for one or both ears) and input (e.g., a
microphone).
The I/O subsystem 106 couples input/output peripherals on the
device 100, such as the touch screen 112 and other input/control
devices 116, to the peripherals interface 118. The I/O subsystem
106 may include a display controller 156 and one or more input
controllers 160 for other input or control devices. The one or more
input controllers 160 receive/send electrical signals from/to other
input or control devices 116. The other input/control devices 116
may include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons,
etc.), dials, slider switches, joysticks, click wheels, and so
forth. In some alternate embodiments, input controller(s) 160 may
be coupled to any (or none) of the following: a keyboard, infrared
port, USB port, and a pointer device such as a mouse. The one or
more buttons (e.g., 208, FIG. 2) may include an up/down button for
volume control of the speaker 111 and/or the microphone 113. The
one or more buttons may include a push button (e.g., 206, FIG. 2).
A quick press of the push button may disengage a lock of the touch
screen 112 or begin a process that uses gestures on the touch
screen to unlock the device, as described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/322,549, "Unlocking a Device by Performing
Gestures on an Unlock Image," filed Dec. 23, 2005, which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety. A longer press of the
push button (e.g., 206) may turn power to the device 100 on or off.
The user may be able to customize a functionality of one or more of
the buttons. The touch screen 112 is used to implement virtual or
soft buttons and one or more soft keyboards.
The touch-sensitive touch screen 112 provides an input interface
and an output interface between the device and a user. The display
controller 156 receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to the
touch screen 112. The touch screen 112 displays visual output to
the user. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons,
video, and any combination thereof (collectively termed
"graphics"). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output
may correspond to user-interface objects, further details of which
are described below.
A touch screen 112 has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor or set of
sensors that accepts input from the user based on haptic and/or
tactile contact. The touch screen 112 and the display controller
156 (along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions
in memory 102) detect contact (and any movement or breaking of the
contact) on the touch screen 112 and converts the detected contact
into interaction with user-interface objects (e.g., one or more
soft keys, icons, web pages or images) that are displayed on the
touch screen. In an exemplary embodiment, a point of contact
between a touch screen 112 and the user corresponds to a finger of
the user.
The touch screen 112 may use LCD (liquid crystal display)
technology, or LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology,
although other display technologies may be used in other
embodiments. The touch screen 112 and the display controller 156
may detect contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any
of a plurality of capacitive touch sensing technologies now known
or later developed, including but not limited to projected mutual
capacitance touch sensing technologies, as well as other proximity
sensor arrays or other elements for determining areas of contact
with a touch screen 112.
A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touch screen
112 may be analogous to the multi-touch sensitive tablets described
in the following U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846 (Westerman et al.), U.S.
Pat. No. 6,570,557 (Westerman et al.), and/or U.S. Pat. No.
6,677,932 (Westerman), and/or U.S. Patent Publication
2002/0015024A1, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference
in its entirety. However, a touch screen 112 displays visual output
from the portable device 100, whereas touch sensitive tablets do
not provide visual output.
A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touch screen
112 may be as described in the following applications: (1) U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/381,313, "Multipoint Touch Surface
Controller," filed May 2, 2006; (2) U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 10/840,862, "Multipoint Touchscreen," filed May 6, 2004; (3)
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,964, "Gestures For Touch
Sensitive Input Devices," filed Jul. 30, 2004; (4) U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/048,264, "Gestures For Touch Sensitive
Input Devices," filed Jan. 31, 2005; (5) U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/038,590, "Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For
Touch Sensitive Input Devices," filed Jan. 18, 2005; (6) U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/228,758, "Virtual Input Device
Placement On A Touch Screen User Interface," filed Sep. 16, 2005;
(7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,700, "Operation Of A
Computer With A Touch Screen Interface," filed Sep. 16, 2005; (8)
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,737, "Activating Virtual
Keys Of A Touch-Screen Virtual Keyboard," filed Sep. 16, 2005; and
(9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,749, "Multi-Functional
Hand-Held Device," filed Mar. 3, 2006. All of these applications
are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The touch screen 112 may have a resolution in excess of 100 dpi. In
an exemplary embodiment, the touch screen has a resolution of
approximately 160 dpi. The user may make contact with the touch
screen 112 using any suitable object or appendage, such as a
stylus, a finger, and so forth. In some embodiments, the user
interface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts
and gestures, which are much less precise than stylus-based input
due to the larger area of contact of a finger on the touch screen.
In some embodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based
input into a precise command for performing the actions desired by
the user.
In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, the device
100 may include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or
deactivating particular functions. In some embodiments, the
touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the
touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad may be a
touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the touch screen 112
or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch
screen.
In some embodiments, the device 100 may include a physical or
virtual click wheel as an input control device 116. A user may
navigate among and interact with one or more graphical objects
(henceforth referred to as icons) displayed in the touch screen 112
by rotating the click wheel or by moving a point of contact with
the click wheel (e.g., where the amount of movement of the point of
contact is measured by its angular displacement with respect to a
center point of the click wheel). The click wheel may also be used
to select one or more of the displayed icons. For example, the user
may press down on at least a portion of the click wheel or an
associated button. User commands and navigation commands provided
by the user via the click wheel may be processed by an input
controller 160 as well as one or more of the modules and/or sets of
instructions in memory 102. For a virtual click wheel, the click
wheel and click wheel controller may be part of the touch screen
112 and the display controller 156, respectively. For a virtual
click wheel, the click wheel may be either an opaque or
semitransparent object that appears and disappears on the touch
screen display in response to user interaction with the device. In
some embodiments, a virtual click wheel is displayed on the touch
screen of a portable multifunction device and operated by user
contact with the touch screen.
The device 100 also includes a power system 162 for powering the
various components. The power system 162 may include a power
management system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery,
alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure
detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status
indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)) and any other
components associated with the generation, management and
distribution of power in portable devices.
The device 100 may also include one or more optical sensors 164.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show an optical sensor coupled to an optical sensor
controller 158 in I/O subsystem 106. The optical sensor 164 may
include charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistors. The optical sensor 164
receives light from the environment, projected through one or more
lens, and converts the light to data representing an image. In
conjunction with an imaging module 143 (also called a camera
module), the optical sensor 164 may capture still images or video.
In some embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the back of
the device 100, opposite the touch screen display 112 on the front
of the device, so that the touch screen display may be used as a
viewfinder for either still and/or video image acquisition. In some
embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the front of the
device so that the user's image may be obtained for
videoconferencing while the user views the other video conference
participants on the touch screen display. In some embodiments, the
position of the optical sensor 164 can be changed by the user
(e.g., by rotating the lens and the sensor in the device housing)
so that a single optical sensor 164 may be used along with the
touch screen display for both video conferencing and still and/or
video image acquisition.
The device 100 may also include one or more proximity sensors 166.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a proximity sensor 166 coupled to the
peripherals interface 118. Alternately, the proximity sensor 166
may be coupled to an input controller 160 in the I/O subsystem 106.
The proximity sensor 166 may perform as described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/241,839, "Proximity Detector In Handheld
Device"; Ser. No. 11/240,788, "Proximity Detector In Handheld
Device"; Ser. No. 11/620,702, "Using Ambient Light Sensor To
Augment Proximity Sensor Output"; Ser. No. 11/586,862, "Automated
Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices"; and
Ser. No. 11/638,251, "Methods And Systems For Automatic
Configuration Of Peripherals," which are hereby incorporated by
reference in their entirety. In some embodiments, the proximity
sensor turns off and disables the touch screen 112 when the
multifunction device is placed near the user's ear (e.g., when the
user is making a phone call). In some embodiments, the proximity
sensor keeps the screen off when the device is in the user's
pocket, purse, or other dark area to prevent unnecessary battery
drainage when the device is a locked state.
The device 100 may also include one or more accelerometers 168.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show an accelerometer 168 coupled to the
peripherals interface 118. Alternately, the accelerometer 168 may
be coupled to an input controller 160 in the I/O subsystem 106. The
accelerometer 168 may perform as described in U.S. Patent
Publication No. 20050190059, "Acceleration-based Theft Detection
System for Portable Electronic Devices," and U.S. Patent
Publication No. 20060017692, "Methods And Apparatuses For Operating
A Portable Device Based On An Accelerometer," both of which are
which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. In
some embodiments, information is displayed on the touch screen
display in a portrait view or a landscape view based on an analysis
of data received from the one or more accelerometers.
In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory 102
may include an operating system 126, a communication module (or set
of instructions) 128, a contact/motion module (or set of
instructions) 130, a graphics module (or set of instructions) 132,
a text input module (or set of instructions) 134, a Global
Positioning System (GPS) module (or set of instructions) 135, and
applications (or set of instructions) 136.
The operating system 126 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X,
WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes
various software components and/or drivers for controlling and
managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage
device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates
communication between various hardware and software components.
The communication module 128 facilitates communication with other
devices over one or more external ports 124 and also includes
various software components for handling data received by the RF
circuitry 108 and/or the external port 124. The external port 124
(e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.) is adapted for
coupling directly to other devices or indirectly over a network
(e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the
external port is a multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connector that is the
same as, or similar to and/or compatible with the 30-pin connector
used on iPod (trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.) devices.
The contact/motion module 130 may detect contact with the touch
screen 112 (in conjunction with the display controller 156) and
other touch sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click
wheel). The contact/motion module 130 includes various software
components for performing various operations related to detection
of contact, such as determining if contact has occurred,
determining if there is movement of the contact and tracking the
movement across the touch screen 112, and determining if the
contact has been broken (i.e., if the contact has ceased).
Determining movement of the point of contact may include
determining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction),
and/or an acceleration (a change in magnitude and/or direction) of
the point of contact. These operations may be applied to single
contacts (e.g., one finger contacts) or to multiple simultaneous
contacts (e.g., "multitouch"/multiple finger contacts). In some
embodiments, the contact/motion module 130 and the display
controller 156 also detects contact on a touchpad. In some
embodiments, the contact/motion module 130 and the controller 160
detects contact on a click wheel.
The graphics module 132 includes various known software components
for rendering and displaying graphics on the touch screen 112,
including components for changing the intensity of graphics that
are displayed. As used herein, the term "graphics" includes any
object that can be displayed to a user, including without
limitation text, web pages, icons (such as user-interface objects
including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations and the
like.
The text input module 134, which may be a component of graphics
module 132, provides soft keyboards for entering text in various
applications (e.g., contacts 137, e-mail 140, IM 141, blogging 142,
browser 147, and any other application that needs text input).
The GPS module 135 determines the location of the device and
provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to
telephone 138 for use in location-based dialing, to camera 143
and/or blogger 142 as picture/video metadata, and to applications
that provide location-based services such as weather widgets, local
yellow page widgets, and map/navigation widgets).
The applications 136 may include the following modules (or sets of
instructions), or a subset or superset thereof: a contacts module
137 (sometimes called an address book or contact list); a telephone
module 138; a video conferencing module 139; an e-mail client
module 140; an instant messaging (IM) module 141; a blogging module
142; a camera module 143 for still and/or video images; an image
management module 144; a video player module 145; a music player
module 146; a browser module 147; a calendar module 148; widget
modules 149, which may include weather widget 149-1, stocks widget
149-2, calculator widget 149-3, alarm clock widget 149-4,
dictionary widget 149-5, and other widgets obtained by the user, as
well as user-created widgets 149-6; widget creator module 150 for
making user-created widgets 149-6; search module 151; video and
music player module 152, which merges video player module 145 and
music player module 146; notes module 153; map module 154; and/or
online video module 155.
Examples of other applications 136 that may be stored in memory 102
include other word processing applications, JAVA-enabled
applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice
recognition, and voice replication.
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156,
contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134,
the contacts module 137 may be used to manage an address book or
contact list, including: adding name(s) to the address book;
deleting name(s) from the address book; associating telephone
number(s), e-mail address(es), physical address(es) or other
information with a name; associating an image with a name;
categorizing and sorting names; providing telephone numbers or
e-mail addresses to initiate and/or facilitate communications by
telephone 138, video conference 139, e-mail 140, or IM 141; and so
forth.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker
111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller 156,
contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134,
the telephone module 138 may be used to enter a sequence of
characters corresponding to a telephone number, access one or more
telephone numbers in the address book 137, modify a telephone
number that has been entered, dial a respective telephone number,
conduct a conversation and disconnect or hang up when the
conversation is completed. As noted above, the wireless
communication may use any of a plurality of communications
standards, protocols and technologies.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker
111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller 156,
optical sensor 164, optical sensor controller 158, contact module
130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, contact list 137,
and telephone module 138, the videoconferencing module 139 may be
used to initiate, conduct, and terminate a video conference between
a user and one or more other participants.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display
controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text
input module 134, the e-mail client module 140 may be used to
create, send, receive, and manage e-mail. In conjunction with image
management module 144, the e-mail module 140 makes it very easy to
create and send e-mails with still or video images taken with
camera module 143.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display
controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text
input module 134, the instant messaging module 141 may be used to
enter a sequence of characters corresponding to an instant message,
to modify previously entered characters, to transmit a respective
instant message (for example, using a Short Message Service (SMS)
or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) protocol for telephony-based
instant messages or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based
instant messages), to receive instant messages and to view received
instant messages. In some embodiments, transmitted and/or received
instant messages may include graphics, photos, audio files, video
files and/or other attachments as are supported in a MMS and/or an
Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS). As used herein, "instant
messaging" refers to both telephony-based messages (e.g., messages
sent using SMS or MMS) and Internet-based messages (e.g., messages
sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS).
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display
controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input
module 134, image management module 144, and browsing module 147,
the blogging module 142 may be used to send text, still images,
video, and/or other graphics to a blog (e.g., the user's blog).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156,
optical sensor(s) 164, optical sensor controller 158, contact
module 130, graphics module 132, and image management module 144,
the camera module 143 may be used to capture still images or video
(including a video stream) and store them into memory 102, modify
characteristics of a still image or video, or delete a still image
or video from memory 102.
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156,
contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, and
camera module 143, the image management module 144 may be used to
arrange, modify or otherwise manipulate, label, delete, present
(e.g., in a digital slide show or album), and store still and/or
video images.
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156,
contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110, and
speaker 111, the video player module 145 may be used to display,
present or otherwise play back videos (e.g., on the touch screen or
on an external, connected display via external port 124).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller
156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110,
speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, and browser module 147, the music
player module 146 allows the user to download and play back
recorded music and other sound files stored in one or more file
formats, such as MP3 or AAC files. In some embodiments, the device
100 may include the functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod
(trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.).
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display
system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and
text input module 134, the browser module 147 may be used to browse
the Internet, including searching, linking to, receiving, and
displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments
and other files linked to web pages.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display
system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132,
text input module 134, e-mail module 140, and browser module 147,
the calendar module 148 may be used to create, display, modify, and
store calendars and data associated with calendars (e.g., calendar
entries, to do lists, etc.).
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display
system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132,
text input module 134, and browser module 147, the widget modules
149 are mini-applications that may be downloaded and used by a user
(e.g., weather widget 149-1, stocks widget 149-2, calculator widget
149-3, alarm clock widget 149-4, and dictionary widget 149-5) or
created by the user (e.g., user-created widget 149-6). In some
embodiments, a widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file.
In some embodiments, a widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup
Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., Yahoo! Widgets).
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display
system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132,
text input module 134, and browser module 147, the widget creator
module 150 may be used by a user to create widgets (e.g., turning a
user-specified portion of a web page into a widget).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller
156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module
134, the search module 151 may be used to search for text, music,
sound, image, video, and/or other files in memory 102 that match
one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified
search terms).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156,
contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134,
the notes module 153 may be used to create and manage notes, to do
lists, and the like.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display
system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132,
text input module 134, GPS module 135, and browser module 147, the
map module 154 may be used to receive, display, modify, and store
maps and data associated with maps (e.g., driving directions; data
on stores and other points of interest at or near a particular
location; and other location-based data).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller
156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110,
speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, text input module 134, e-mail client
module 140, and browser module 147, the online video module 155
allows the user to access, browse, receive (e.g., by streaming
and/or download), play back (e.g., on the touch screen or on an
external, connected display via external port 124), send an e-mail
with a link to a particular online video, and otherwise manage
online videos in one or more file formats, such as H.264. In some
embodiments, instant messaging module 141, rather than e-mail
client module 140, is used to send a link to a particular online
video. Additional description of the online video application can
be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/936,562,
"Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User
Interface for Playing Online Videos," filed Jun. 20, 2007, and U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/968,067, "Portable Multifunction
Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Playing Online
Videos," filed Dec. 31, 2007, the content of which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Each of the above identified modules and applications correspond to
a set of instructions for performing one or more functions
described above. These modules (i.e., sets of instructions) need
not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or
modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined
or otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments. For example, video
player module 145 may be combined with music player module 146 into
a single module (e.g., video and music player module 152, FIG. 1B).
In some embodiments, memory 102 may store a subset of the modules
and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory 102 may
store additional modules and data structures not described
above.
In some embodiments, the device 100 is a device where operation of
a predefined set of functions on the device is performed
exclusively through a touch screen 112 and/or a touchpad. By using
a touch screen and/or a touchpad as the primary input/control
device for operation of the device 100, the number of physical
input/control devices (such as push buttons, dials, and the like)
on the device 100 may be reduced.
The predefined set of functions that may be performed exclusively
through a touch screen and/or a touchpad include navigation between
user interfaces. In some embodiments, the touchpad, when touched by
the user, navigates the device 100 to a main, home, or root menu
from any user interface that may be displayed on the device 100. In
such embodiments, the touchpad may be referred to as a "menu
button." In some other embodiments, the menu button may be a
physical push button or other physical input/control device instead
of a touchpad.
FIG. 2 illustrates a portable multifunction device 100 having a
touch screen 112 in accordance with some embodiments. The touch
screen may display one or more graphics within user interface (UI)
200. In this embodiment, as well as others described below, a user
may select one or more of the graphics by making contact or
touching the graphics, for example, with one or more fingers 202
(not drawn to scale in the figure). In some embodiments, selection
of one or more graphics occurs when the user breaks contact with
the one or more graphics. In some embodiments, the contact may
include a gesture, such as one or more taps, one or more swipes
(from left to right, right to left, upward and/or downward) and/or
a rolling of a finger (from right to left, left to right, upward
and/or downward) that has made contact with the device 100. In some
embodiments, inadvertent contact with a graphic may not select the
graphic. For example, a swipe gesture that sweeps over an
application icon may not select the corresponding application when
the gesture corresponding to selection is a tap.
The device 100 may also include one or more physical buttons, such
as "home" or menu button 204. As described previously, the menu
button 204 may be used to navigate to any application 136 in a set
of applications that may be executed on the device 100.
Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented
as a soft key in a GUI in touch screen 112.
In one embodiment, the device 100 includes a touch screen 112, a
menu button 204, a push button 206 for powering the device on/off
and locking the device, volume adjustment button(s) 208, a
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card slot 210, a head set jack
212, and a docking/charging external port 124. The push button 206
may be used to turn the power on/off on the device by depressing
the button and holding the button in the depressed state for a
predefined time interval; to lock the device by depressing the
button and releasing the button before the predefined time interval
has elapsed; and/or to unlock the device or initiate an unlock
process. In an alternative embodiment, the device 100 also may
accept verbal input for activation or deactivation of some
functions through the microphone 113.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device with a
touch screen display in accordance with some embodiments. Device
300 need not be portable. In some embodiments, the device 300 is a
laptop computer, a desktop computer, a table computer, a multimedia
player device, a navigation device, an educational device (such as
a child's learning toy), a gaming system, or a control device
(e.g., a home or industrial controller). The device 300 typically
includes one or more processing units (CPU's) 310, one or more
network or other communications interfaces 360, memory 370, and one
or more communication buses 320 for interconnecting these
components. The communication buses 320 may include circuitry
(sometimes called a chipset) that interconnects and controls
communications between system components. The device 300 includes a
user interface 330 comprising a touch-screen display 340. The user
interface 330 also may include a keyboard and/or mouse (or other
pointing device) 350. Memory 370 includes high-speed random access
memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid
state memory devices; and may include non-volatile memory, such as
one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage
devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid state
storage devices. Memory 370 may optionally include one or more
storage devices remotely located from the CPU(s) 310. In some
embodiments, memory 370 stores programs, modules, and data
structures analogous to the programs, modules, and data structures
stored in the memory 102 of portable multifunction device 100 (FIG.
1), or a subset thereof. Furthermore, memory 370 may store
additional programs, modules, and data structures (not shown) not
present in the memory 102 of portable multifunction device 100.
Each of the above identified elements in FIG. 3 may be stored in
one or more of the previously mentioned memory devices. Each of the
above identified modules corresponds to a set of instructions for
performing a function described above. The above identified modules
or programs (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as
separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various
subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged
in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 370 may store a
subset of the modules and data structures identified above.
Furthermore, memory 370 may store additional modules and data
structures not described above.
Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces
("UI") that may be implemented on a portable multifunction device
100.
FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary user interfaces for a menu of
applications on a portable multifunction device 100 in accordance
with some embodiments. Similar user interfaces may be implemented
on device 300. In some embodiments, user interface 400A includes
the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof: Signal
strength indicator(s) 402 for wireless communication(s), such as
cellular and Wi-Fi signals; Time 404; Bluetooth indicator 405;
Battery status indicator 406; Tray 408 with icons for frequently
used applications, such as: Phone 138, which may include an
indicator 414 of the number of missed calls or voicemail messages;
E-mail client 140, which may include an indicator 410 of the number
of unread e-mails; Browser 147; and Music player 146; and Icons for
other applications, such as: IM 141; Image management 144; Camera
143; Video player 145; Weather 149-1; Stocks 149-2; Blog 142;
Calendar 148; Calculator 149-3; Alarm clock 149-4; Dictionary
149-5; and User-created widget 149-6.
In some embodiments, user interface 400B includes the following
elements, or a subset or superset thereof: 402, 404, 405, 406, 141,
148, 144, 143, 149-3, 149-2, 149-1, 149-4, 410, 414, 138, 140, and
147, as described above; Map 154; Notes 153; Settings 412, which
provides access to settings for the device 100 and its various
applications 136, as described further below; Video and music
player module 152, also referred to as iPod (trademark of Apple
Computer, Inc.) module 152; and Online video module 155, also
referred to as YouTube (trademark of Google, Inc.) module 155.
Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces
("UI") and associated processes that may be implemented on a
computing device with a touch screen display, such as device 300 or
portable multifunction device 100.
FIG. 5A illustrates an overhead view 500 of an exemplary finger in
contact with a touch screen display in accordance with some
embodiments. FIG. 5A shows finger 540 in contact 520-1 with a touch
screen display 505-1. A touch area 525-1 created by the device that
corresponds to the contact 520 is shown, along with a
representative point 530-1 and a centroid 535 of the touch area.
Note that the touch area 525 created by the device is typically not
visible to a user. In other words, the touch area 525 models the
finger contact 520, but the touch area 520 is typically not shown
on the touch screen display 505.
FIG. 5B illustrates a side view of the finger and the touch screen
display of FIG. 5A. In FIG. 5B, dotted lines corresponding to the
edges of finger contact 520-1 and touch area 525-1 in FIG. 5A are
shown. In some embodiments, the created touch area 525-1 is smaller
than the contact area 520-1 of the finger 540-1, as shown in FIGS.
5A and 5B. In some embodiments, the created touch area 525 is
larger than the contact area 520 of the finger 540 (not shown).
FIG. 5C illustrates the components of a touch area 525 in
accordance with some embodiments. The touch area 525 is created in
response to detecting a finger contact 520 with a touch screen
display 510. The touch area 525 includes an area 555 with a
perimeter 550 and a representative point 530. In some embodiments,
the representative point is the centroid 535 (FIG. 5A) of the touch
area. In some embodiments, the representative point 530 is offset
from the centroid 535 of the touch area (e.g., as shown in FIG.
5A). The representative point may be offset from the centroid to
compensate for parallax, persistent errors between desired and
actual contact locations, or other finger placement errors.
FIGS. 5D-5F illustrate hit regions 560 for on-screen objects in
accordance with some embodiments. A touch area 525 is determined to
overlap an object 570 if the touch area overlaps the object's hit
region 560. Similarly, a touch area is determined to intersect an
object if the touch area intersects the object's hit region. An
object's hit region 560 is typically the same as the object 570
displayed on the touch screen. For example, in FIG. 5D, hit region
560-1 is the same as the on-screen object 570. In some embodiments,
however, the hit region is larger (e.g., hit region 560-2, FIG. 5E)
or smaller (e.g., hit region 560-3, FIG. 5F) than the object 570
displayed on the touch screen. A larger hit region (FIG. 5E) makes
it easier for a touch area to overlap or intersect the object.
Conversely, a smaller hit region (FIG. 5F) makes it harder for a
touch area to overlap or intersect the object. As used in the
specification and claims, phrases like "determining if the touch
area overlaps an object" will be understood to mean "determining if
the touch area overlaps an object's hit region," where the object's
hit region may be the same as, larger than, or smaller than the
on-screen object. For ease of illustration and explanation, an
object's hit region 560 will be the same as the on-screen object
(e.g., connected object 510 and unconnected object 600) in the
Figures (except for FIGS. 5E and 5F).
FIGS. 6A-6F illustrate various degrees and types of overlap of a
touch area with an object displayed on the touch screen display in
accordance with some embodiments. FIGS. 6A-6C show no overlap,
partial overlap, and complete overlap, respectively, between a
touch area 525 and an on-screen object. FIGS. 6D-6F illustrate
different parts of the touch area 525 that may be analyzed to
determine if the touch area overlaps the object, such as the
perimeter of the touch area and/or an interior portion of the touch
area.
FIGS. 7A-7E illustrate touch areas created by modeling a single
finger contact as a geometric object in accordance with some
embodiments. The touch areas 525 are modeled as ellipses with major
axis 720 and minor axis 715 in FIGS. 7A, 7D, and 7E. The touch
areas 525 are modeled as polygons in FIGS. 7B and 7C. FIG. 7E also
illustrates angles between an axis corresponding to the touch area
525 and an axis corresponding to the touch screen display 505-2
that may be determined and used to monitor rotation of the touch
area. In turn, the determined rotation of the touch area may be
used create corresponding rotations in objects connected to the
touch area. Thus, information derived from a single finger contact
may be used to control rotation of an on-screen object in a
physically intuitive manner.
FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate moving an on-screen object connected to a
single finger touch area in accordance with movement of the touch
area. Exemplary movements include translation (FIG. 8A); rotation
about a point in the overlap region between the object and the
touch area (FIG. 8B); and simultaneous translation and rotation of
the object (FIG. 8C).
FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate two-dimensional and simulated
three-dimensional on-screen objects modeled as a set of vertices in
accordance with some embodiments. The vertices may be arranged in
rows (e.g., 914a-f, FIG. 9A), columns (e.g., 912a-j, FIG. 9A),
and/or diagonals (e.g., 916a-n, FIG. A).
FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate moving an unconnected on-screen object in
response to intersection (a virtual collision) with an on-screen
object connected to a touch area.
FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate moving an unconnected on-screen object in
response to intersection with an on-screen object connected to a
touch area. Both objects are modeled as a set of vertices and a
rigid body simulation of the virtual collision is displayed.
FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate moving an on-screen object in response to
intersection (e.g., virtual nudging or bumping) with a touch area.
The movement may include translation (1206, FIG. 12C) and/or
rotation (not shown) of the nudged object.
FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate moving multiple on-screen objects
connected to a single finger touch area in accordance with movement
of the touch area. Exemplary movements include translation (FIG.
13A); rotation (FIG. 13B); and simultaneous translation and
rotation of the objects (FIG. 13C). FIG. 13D illustrates moving
multiple on-screen objects, with each object connected to a single
finger touch area, in accordance with movement of the touch
areas.
FIGS. 14A-14C illustrate moving on-screen objects in response to
intersection (e.g., virtual nudging or bumping) with a touch area
that corresponds to a hand edge. The movement may include
translation (1420, 1422, and 1424, FIG. 12C) and/or rotation (not
shown) of the nudged objects.
FIGS. 15A-15B illustrate a touch area overlapping with one or more
vertices of an on-screen object in accordance with some
embodiments. Touch area overlap may determined with vertices on the
perimeter of the object (e.g., FIG. 15B) and/or with vertices in
the interior of the object (e.g., FIG. 15A).
For ease of illustration, FIGS. 8A-8C, 10A-10C, 11A-11C, 12A-12C,
13A-13D, and 14A-14C show movements in fingers, touch areas, and
objects between widely separated positions a and b. In practice,
detecting finger contact movements and determining corresponding
touch area and on-screen object movements are incremental
determinations done in real time. Thus, object(s) connected to a
touch area will appear to be attached to the finger contact as the
finger moves on the touch screen display (e.g., from position a to
position b).
FIGS. 5A-5F, 6A-6F, 7A-7E, 8A-8C, 9A-9B, 10A-10C, 11A-11C, 12A-12C,
13A-13D, 14A-14C, and 15A-15B illustrate exemplary user interfaces
for moving on-screen objects in accordance with some embodiments.
The user interfaces in these Figures are used to illustrate the
processes described below with respect to FIGS. 16A-16G, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21A-21B, and 22.
FIGS. 16A-16G are flow diagrams illustrating a method of moving an
on-screen object with a single finger in accordance with some
embodiments. The method 1600 is performed at a computing device 300
with a touch screen display. In some embodiments, the method is
performed at a portable multifunction device with a touch screen
display (e.g., portable multifunction device 100). As described
below, the method 1600 provides an intuitive interface for direct
finger manipulation of on-screen objects with a single finger,
without using a cursor to move the objects.
The device displays (1602) a plurality of objects on the touch
screen display. For example, in FIG. 8A, objects 600-2, 600-3, and
510-7 are displayed on touch screen display 505. For ease of
explanation, the objects in FIG. 8A (and other similar figures) are
shown as simple rectangular on-screen objects. In practice, the
objects are typically more complex and may include text, web pages,
icons (including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations,
and other two-dimensional and simulated three-dimensional
objects.
The device detects (1604) a single finger contact on the touch
screen display. For example, the device uses contact/motion module
130 (FIG. 1A) to detect finger contact 520-1 on touch screen
display 505-1 (FIGS. 5A and 5B).
The device creates (1606, FIG. 16A) a touch area that corresponds
to the single finger contact on the touch screen display. The touch
area includes a perimeter (e.g., perimeter 550-2, FIG. 5C). For
example, the device uses contact/motion module 130 (FIG. 1A) to
create a touch area 525-1 that corresponds to single finger contact
520-1 (FIGS. 5A and 5B).
In some embodiments, the device models (1652, FIG. 16D) the
detected single finger contact as a geometric object to create the
touch area. For example, in FIG. 7A, the device uses contact/motion
module 130 (FIG. 1A) to model finger contact 520-2 as touch area
525-8.
In some embodiments, the geometric object is a two-dimensional
object (1654), such as the touch areas 525 shown in FIGS. 7A-7E. In
some embodiments, the geometric object is an ellipse (1656). For
example, in FIGS. 7A, 7D, and 7E, the touch areas 525 are modeled
as ellipses. In some embodiments, the geometric object is a polygon
(1658). For example, in FIG. 7B, the touch area 525-9 is modeled as
a rectangle and in FIG. 7C the touch area 525-10 is modeled as an
octagon. In some embodiments, the touch area is bounded by a spline
curve (1660).
In some embodiments, the device applies (1662) a watershed
algorithm to data corresponding to the detected single finger
contact 520 on the touch screen display to create an image of the
detected single finger contact, and models the image as a geometric
object to create the touch area 525. In some embodiments, the data
corresponding to the detected single finger contact are capacitance
data (1664), such as capacitance data from a touch screen display
that measures projected mutual capacitance data. Like the touch
area 525, the image is typically not displayed.
In some embodiments, the device thresholds (1666) data
corresponding to the detected single finger contact on the touch
screen display to create a thresholded image of the detected single
finger contact, and models the thresholded image as a geometric
object to create the touch area. In some embodiments, the data
corresponding to the detected single finger contact are capacitance
data (1668, FIG. 16D), such as capacitance data from a touch screen
display that measures projected mutual capacitance data. Like the
touch area 525, the thresholded image is typically not
displayed.
The device determines (1608, FIG. 16A) a representative point 530
within the touch area. For example, in FIG. 8A, the contact/motion
module 130 determines representative point 530-9-a when the finger
540-2-a makes contact with the touch screen 505 at position a.
In some embodiments, the representative point within the touch area
is the centroid of the touch area (1610), e.g., centroid 535 (FIG.
5A). In some embodiments, the representative point within the touch
area is a point that is offset from the centroid of the touch area
(1612). In some embodiments, the representative point within the
touch area is a point that is offset from the centroid of the touch
area along a major axis or minor axis of the touch area (1614). For
example, in FIG. 7D, the representative point 530-8 within the
touch area 525-11 is a point that is offset from the centroid 535-2
of the touch area along a major axis of the touch area ellipse. The
representative point 530 may be offset from the centroid to
compensate for parallax, persistent errors between desired and
actual contact locations, or other finger placement errors.
In some embodiments, the device determines (1616) an axis of the
touch area. In some embodiments, the device determines (1618) a
major axis 720 of the touch area. In some embodiments, the device
(1620) determines a minor axis 715 of the touch area. For example,
in FIG. 7E, the contact/motion module 130 determines major axis
720-4 and/or minor axis 715-4 of touch area 525-12. In some
embodiments, the device determines (1622) an angle between an axis
corresponding to the touch area 525 and an axis corresponding to
the touch screen display (e.g., an angle between a major or minor
axis of the touch area and a vertical or horizontal axis of the
touch screen display). For example, in FIG. 7E, the contact/motion
module 130 may determine at least one of: (1) angle 730 between the
major axis 720-4 of touch area 525-12 and a horizontal axis 755 of
the touch screen display 505; (2) angle 735 between the major axis
720-4 of touch area 525-12 and a vertical axis 750 of the touch
screen display 505; (3) angle 740 between the minor axis 715-4 of
touch area 525-12 and a vertical axis 750 of the touch screen
display 505; and (3) angle 745 between the minor axis 715-4 of
touch area 525-12 and a horizontal axis 755 of the touch screen
display 505. As explained below, in response to detecting changes
in one or more of these angles, the device may make corresponding
changes in the rotation of objects connected to the touch area
525.
The device determines (1624, FIG. 16B) if the touch area 525
overlaps an object in the plurality of objects displayed on the
touch screen display. Determining if the touch area overlaps the
object includes determining if one or more portions of the touch
area 525 other than the representative point 530 overlap the object
(i.e., determining if one or more portions of the touch area other
than the representative point overlap the object is in addition to
or in place of a determining if the representative point overlaps
the object). This determination detects overlap with an object that
would be missed if the overlap determination was just based on
overlap between a representative point 530 of the touch area 525
(e.g., the centroid 535) and the object.
As noted above, FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate various degrees of overlap
of the touch area 525 with an object displayed on the touch screen
display in accordance with some embodiments. In FIG. 6A, there is
no overlap between the touch area 525-2 and the object 600-1. In
FIG. 6B, there is partial overlap between the touch area 525-3 and
object 510-2, but the partial overlap (overlap portion 610-1 of
touch area 525-3) does not include the representative point 530-3
of touch area 525-3. In FIG. 6C, there is complete overlap of the
touch area 525-4 and the object 510-3.
In some embodiments, determining if the touch area overlaps the
object includes determining (1670, FIG. 16E) if the perimeter of
the touch area overlaps the object. For example, for the object
510-4 and touch area 525-5 shown in FIG. 6D, the contact/motion
module 130 in conjunction with the graphics module 132 would
determine that at least some of the bolded portion of perimeter
550-2 overlaps object 510-4.
In some embodiments, determining if the touch area overlaps the
object includes determining (1672) if a portion of the touch area
between the representative point within the touch area and the
perimeter of the touch area overlaps the object. For example, for
the object 510-5 and touch area 525-6 shown in FIG. 6E, the
contact/motion module 130 in conjunction with the graphics module
132 would determine that at least some of the shaded portion 610-2
of touch area 525-6 overlaps object 510-5.
In some embodiments, determining if the touch area overlaps the
object includes determining if the perimeter of the touch area
overlaps the object, and determining if a portion of the touch area
between the representative point within the touch area and the
perimeter of the touch area overlaps the object (1674). For
example, for the object 510-6 and touch area 525-7 shown in FIG.
6F, the contact/motion module 130 in conjunction with the graphics
module 132 would determine that at least some of the bolded portion
of perimeter 550-3 overlaps object 510-6 and at least some of the
shaded portion 610-3 of touch area 525-7 overlaps object 510-6.
In some embodiments, the object comprises a set of vertices and
determining if the touch area overlaps the object comprises
determining (1676) if the touch area overlaps with one or more
vertices in the set of vertices. In some embodiments, the object
has a shape and the set of vertices form a mesh that corresponds to
the shape of the object (1678). For example, in FIG. 15A, object
510-25 has a square shape, a set of vertices form a mesh that
corresponds to the square shape, and the contact/motion module 130
in conjunction with the graphics module 132 would determine that
touch area 525-25 overlaps with the vertices highlighted by black
dots in FIG. 15A. In some embodiments, the object includes a
perimeter and the set of vertices form the perimeter of the object
(1680, FIG. 16E). For example, in FIG. 15B, object 510-26 has a
perimeter, a set of vertices form a perimeter of the object, and
the contact/motion module 130 in conjunction with the graphics
module 132 would determine that touch area 525-26 overlaps with the
vertices highlighted by black dots in FIG. 15B.
The device connects (1626, FIG. 16B) the object with the touch area
if the touch area is determined to overlap the object. For example,
in FIG. 8A, the contact/motion module 130 in conjunction with the
graphics module 132 connect object 510-7 with touch area 525-13
because a portion 610-20 of touch area 525-13-a overlaps object
510-7 (even though portion 610-20 does not include the
representative point 530-9-a of touch area 525-13a). Connecting the
object with the touch area maintains the overlap of the object and
the touch area. As used herein, "connecting the object with the
touch area" means coordinating movement of the object and the touch
area if the touch area is determined to overlap the object so as to
maintain the overlap of the object and the touch area. As used
herein, "maintaining the overlap" means maintaining at least some
overlap, and does not require maintaining exactly the same overlap.
The size and shape of the overlap may change, e.g., because the
size and shape of the detected finger contact 520 and the
corresponding touch area 525 may change somewhat during finger
movement.
In some embodiments, the device leaves unconnected (1628) with the
touch area objects in the plurality of objects that do not overlap
the touch area. For example, in FIG. 8A, the device leaves objects
600-2 and 600-3 unconnected with touch area 525-13 because objects
6002- and 600-3 do not overlap touch area 525-13 when a finger
contact is made at position a.
In some embodiments, creating (1606) the touch area 525,
determining (1608) the representative point 530, determining (1624)
if the touch area 525 overlaps the object, and connecting (1626)
the object with the touch area are all done in response to
detecting (1604) the single finger contact on the touch screen
display.
After connecting the object with the touch area, the device detects
(1630) movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display. For example, in FIG. 8A, after connecting object 510-7
with touch area 525-13 at position a, the contact/motion module 130
detects movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display to another position, position b.
The device determines (1632, FIG. 16B)) movement of the touch area
that corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display. For example, in FIG. 8A, the contact/motion
module 130 determines movement 804 of the touch area from position
a (where touch area 525-13 is denoted 525-13-a) to position b
(where touch area 525-13 is denoted 525-13-b), which corresponds to
movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen display
from position a to position b.
In some embodiments, determining movement of the touch area
includes determining (1682, FIG. 16F) translation 804 of the touch
area in accordance with the detected movement (e.g., from 525-13-a
to 525-13-b in FIG. 8A).
In some embodiments, determining movement of the touch area
includes determining (1684) translation 804 of the representative
point of the touch area in accordance with the detected movement
(e.g., from 530-9-a to 530-9-b in FIG. 8A).
In some embodiments, determining movement of the touch area
includes determining (1686) rotation 808 of the touch area in
accordance with the detected movement of the contact (e.g., from
525-14-a to 525-14-b in FIG. 8B).
In some embodiments, determining movement of the touch area
includes determining (1688) rotation of an axis of the touch area
(e.g., major axis 720 or minor axis 715) in accordance with the
detected movement of the contact. For example, the contact/motion
module 130 may determine rotation of major axis 720 or minor axis
715 relative to an axis of the touch screen by determining a change
in angle 730, 735, 740, or 745 (FIG. 7E) in accordance with the
detected movement of the contact.
In some embodiments, determining movement of the touch area
includes determining (1690) translation and rotation 816 of the
touch area in accordance with the detected movement of the contact
(e.g., from 525-16-a to 525-16-b in FIG. 8C).
In some embodiments, determining movement of the touch area
includes determining (1692, FIG. 16F) changes in the size and shape
of the touch area 525 in accordance with the detected movement of
the contact.
The device moves (1634, FIG. 16B) the object connected with the
touch area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch
area. For example, in conjunction with the contact/motion module
130, the graphics module 132 moves the object connected with the
touch area 525 in accordance with the determined movement of the
touch area. By using direct finger manipulation, the object is
moved in accordance with the determined movement of the touch area
without using a cursor (1635).
In some embodiments, moving the object connected with the touch
area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch area
includes translating (1693, FIG. 16G) the object connected with the
touch area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch
area. For example, in FIG. 8A, the graphics module 132 moves 806
connected object 510-7 from position a (where object 510-7 is
denoted object 510-7-a) to position b (where object 510-7 is
denoted 510-7-b), in accordance with the determined movement 804 of
the touch area 525-13 from 525-13-a to 525-13-b. In FIG. 8A, object
510-7 will appear to be connected to the user's finger 540 during
the translation.
In some embodiments, moving the object connected with the touch
area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch area
includes rotating (1694) the object connected with the touch area
in accordance with the determined movement of the touch area. For
example, in FIG. 8B, the graphics module 132 rotates 810 connected
object 510-8 from position a (where object 510-8 is denoted object
510-8-a) to position b (where object 510-8 is denoted 510-8-b), in
accordance with the determined movement 808 of the touch area
525-14 from 525-14-a to 525-14-b. In FIG. 8B, object 510-8 will
appear to be connected to the user's finger 540 during the
rotation.
In some embodiments, rotating the object connected with the touch
area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch area
includes rotating (1695) the object connected with the touch area
about a point in an area that overlaps the touch area and the
object connected with the touch area (e.g., about the centroid of
the area that overlaps the touch area and the object connected with
the touch area).
In some embodiments, moving the object connected with the touch
area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch area
includes simultaneously translating and rotating (1696) the object
connected with the touch area in accordance with the determined
movement of the touch area. For example, in FIG. 8C, the graphics
module 132 simultaneously translates and rotates 818 connected
object 510-10 from position a (where object 510-10 is denoted
object 510-10-a) to position b (where object 510-10 is denoted
510-10-b), in accordance with the determined movement 816 of the
touch area 525-16 from 525-16-a to 525-16-b. In FIG. 8C, object
510-10 will appear to be connected to the user's finger 540 during
the simultaneous translation and rotation.
In some embodiments, moving the object connected with the touch
area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch area
includes moving (1697) the object in accordance with a simulation
of an equation of motion having friction. For example, the object
may be flung across the touch screen, bounce off a screen edge or
another object, and gradually come to rest when the finger contact
that corresponds to the touch area breaks contact with the touch
screen.
In some embodiments, the object connected with the touch area
includes a rigid body mesh (e.g., FIGS. 9A and 9B) and moving the
object connected with the touch area in accordance with the
determined movement of the touch area includes moving (1698) the
object connected with the touch area in accordance with a rigid
body simulation (e.g. FIGS. 11A-11C). In some embodiments, the
rigidity of the mesh may be adjusted by a user.
In some embodiments, the object connected with the touch area
simulates a three-dimensional object and moving the object
connected with the touch area in accordance with the determined
movement of the touch area includes moving (1699, FIG. 16G) the
object connected with the touch area in accordance with a
three-dimensional simulation. For example, the graphics module 132
may simulate translation and/or rotation of the three-dimensional
object out of the plane of the touch screen display.
In some embodiments, while detecting movement of the single finger
contact 520 on the touch screen display, the device detects
intersection of the touch area 525 and/or the object 510 connected
with the touch area with an unconnected object 600 in the plurality
of objects on the touch screen display. In contrast to a
"connected" object 510, an "unconnected" object 600 does not at
least partially overlap with a touch area 525 that corresponds to a
finger contact 520 when the finger initially makes contact with the
touch screen display 505. Thus, the movement of an unconnected
object 600 is not coordinated with the movement of the touch area
525 so as to maintain overlap of the unconnected object and the
touch area. Instead, as described below with respect to FIGS.
12A-12C, an unconnected object 600 moves away from a touch area 525
when the touch area intersects the unconnected object 600.
Similarly, as described below with respect to FIGS. 10A-10C and
11A-11C, an unconnected object 600 moves away from a connected
object 510 (moving in concert with the touch area 525) when the
connected object 510 intersects the unconnected object 600.
In response to detecting intersection of the touch area 525 and/or
the object 510 connected with the touch area with the unconnected
object 600, the device moves (1636, FIG. 16C) the unconnected
object such that the unconnected object ceases to intersect the
touch area and/or the object connected with the touch area.
For example, in FIG. 12A, the contact/motion module 130 detects
movement 1202 of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display. In FIG. 12B, the contact/motion module 130 detects
intersection 1204 of touch area 525-19-b with an unconnected object
600-13-b in a plurality of objects (600-13 and 600-15) on the touch
screen display 505. In FIG. 12C, in response to detecting the
intersection 1204, the graphics module 132 in conjunction with the
contact/motion module 130 moves the unconnected object 600-13-c
such that the unconnected object ceases to intersect the touch area
525-19-c.
As another example, in FIG. 10A, the contact/motion module 130
detects movement 1002 of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display (which results in corresponding movement 1004 of
object 510-11, which is connected to touch area 525-17-a). In FIG.
10B, the graphics module 132 in conjunction with the contact/motion
module 130 detects intersection 1006 of connected object 510-11-b
with an unconnected object 600-10-b in a plurality of objects
(600-10 and 600-11) on the touch screen display 505. In FIG. 10C,
in response to detecting the intersection 1006, the graphics module
132 in conjunction with the contact/motion module 130 moves the
unconnected object 600-10-c such that the unconnected object ceases
to intersect the connected object 510-11-c.
In some embodiments, moving the unconnected object 600 such that
the unconnected object ceases to intersect the touch area 525
and/or the object 510 connected with the touch area includes
translating (1638) the unconnected object. For example, unconnected
object 600-13-c is translated 1206 in FIG. 12C and unconnected
object 600-10-c is translated 1008 in FIG. 10C.
In some embodiments, moving the unconnected object such that the
unconnected object ceases to intersect the touch area and/or the
object connected with the touch area includes rotating (1640) the
unconnected object. For example, unconnected object 600-10-c is
rotated 1010 in FIG. 10C.
In some embodiments, moving the unconnected object such that the
unconnected object ceases to intersect the touch area and/or the
object connected with the touch area includes simultaneously
translating and rotating (1642) the unconnected object. For
example, unconnected object 600-10-c is simultaneously translated
1008 and rotated 1010 in FIG. 10C.
In some embodiments, moving the unconnected object such that the
unconnected object ceases to intersect the touch area and/or the
object connected with the touch area includes moving unconnected
the object in accordance with a simulation of an equation of motion
having friction (1644). For example, the unconnected object may
recoil from the intersection (a virtual collision) like a physical
object, move across the touch screen, bounce off a screen edge or
another object, and gradually come to rest in response to the
intersection 1006.
In some embodiments, the unconnected object includes a rigid body
mesh and moving the unconnected object such that the unconnected
object ceases to intersect the touch area and/or the object
connected with the touch area includes moving the unconnected
object in accordance with a rigid body simulation (1646). In some
embodiments, the rigidity of the mesh may be adjusted by a
user.
For example, in FIGS. 11A-11C, both connected object 1104 and
unconnected object 1102 include a rigid body mesh. These meshes are
shown in FIGS. 11A-11C, but are typically not directly seen on
touch screen display 505. In FIG. 11A, the contact/motion module
130 detects movement 1120 of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display (which results in corresponding movement 1122 of
object 1104-a, which is connected to touch area 525-18-a). In FIG.
11B, the graphics module 132 in conjunction with the contact/motion
module 130 detects intersection of connected object 1104-b with an
unconnected object 1102-b in a plurality of objects on the touch
screen display 505. As part of a rigid body simulation of the
intersection (collision), object 1104-b is momentarily compressed
1126 and object 1102-b is momentarily compressed 1128 in FIG. 11B.
In FIG. 11C, in response to detecting the intersection, the
graphics module 132 in conjunction with the contact/motion module
130 moves the unconnected object 1102-c such that the unconnected
object ceases to intersect the connected object 1104-c. As part of
the rigid body simulation, object 1104-c expands 1136 back to its
original shape and object 1102-c expands 1134 back to its original
shape, as shown in FIG. 11C.
In some embodiments, the unconnected object simulates a
three-dimensional object and moving the unconnected object such
that the unconnected object ceases to intersect the touch area
and/or the object connected with the touch area includes moving the
unconnected object in accordance with a three-dimensional
simulation (1648). For example, the graphics module 132 may
simulate translation and/or rotation of the three-dimensional
unconnected object out of the plane of the touch screen
display.
In some embodiments, the device determines that the touch area 525
ceases to overlap with the connected object 510. In some
embodiments, the touch area ceases to overlap with the connected
object because of a decrease in the size of the touch area (e.g., a
stationary touch area reduces in size). In some embodiments, the
touch area overlap ceases because the corresponding finger contact
520 with the touch screen display ceases, thereby eliminating the
touch area. In response to determining that the touch area ceases
to overlap with the connected object, the device disconnects (1650)
the touch area from the connected object.
Note that details of the processes described above with respect to
method 1600 (e.g., FIGS. 16D-16G) are also applicable in an
analogous manner to methods 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, and 2200
described below. For brevity, these details are not repeated
below.
FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of moving an
on-screen object with a single finger in accordance with some
embodiments. The method 1700 is performed at a computing device 300
with a touch screen display. In some embodiments, the method is
performed at a portable multifunction device with a touch screen
display (e.g., portable multifunction device 100). As described
below, the method 1700 provides an intuitive interface for direct
finger manipulation of on-screen objects with a single finger,
without using a cursor to move the objects.
The device displays (1702) a plurality of objects on the touch
screen display (e.g., objects 600-2, 600-3, and 510-7, FIG.
8A).
The device detects (1704) a single finger contact on the touch
screen display (e.g., contact 520-1, FIGS. 5A and 5B).
The device creates (1706) a touch area that corresponds to the
single finger contact on the touch screen display (e.g., touch area
525-1 that corresponds to single finger contact 520-1, FIGS. 5A and
5B). The touch area includes a perimeter (e.g., perimeter 550-2,
FIG. 5C).
The device determines (1708) a representative point within the
touch area (e.g., point 530-9-a when the finger 540-2-a makes
contact with the touch screen 505 at position a, FIG. 8A).
For an object in the plurality of objects displayed on the touch
screen display, the device: determines if the representative point
530 of the touch area 525 overlaps the object; determines if the
perimeter 550 of the touch area overlaps the object; and determines
if a portion 610 of the touch area between the representative point
of the touch area and the perimeter of the touch area overlaps the
object (1710).
The device connects (1712) the object with the touch area if the
touch area is determined to overlap the object (e.g., in FIG. 8A,
object 510-7 is connected with touch area 525-13). Connecting the
object with the touch area maintains the overlap of the object and
the touch area.
In some embodiments, creating (1706) the touch area 525,
determining (1708) the representative point 530, determining (1710)
if the touch area 525 overlaps the object, and connecting (1712)
the object with the touch area are all done in response to
detecting (1704) the single finger contact on the touch screen
display.
After connecting the object with the touch area, the device detects
(1714) movement of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display (e.g., from position a to position b in FIG. 8A).
The device determines (1716) movement of the touch area that
corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display (e.g., movement 804 of the touch area 525-13 from
position a to position b, FIG. 8A).
The device moves (1718) the object connected with the touch area in
accordance with the determined movement of the touch area (e.g.,
move 806 connected object 510-7 from position a to position b, FIG.
8A). By using direct finger manipulation, the object is moved in
accordance with the determined movement of the touch area without
using a cursor (1720).
FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of rotating an
on-screen object with a single finger in accordance with some
embodiments. The method 1800 is performed at a computing device 300
with a touch screen display. In some embodiments, the method is
performed at a portable multifunction device with a touch screen
display (e.g., portable multifunction device 100). As described
below, the method 1800 provides an intuitive interface for rotating
on-screen objects with a single finger, without using a cursor to
rotate the objects.
The device displays (1802) a plurality of objects on the touch
screen display (e.g., objects 600-2, 600-3, and 510-8, FIG.
8B).
The device detects (1804) a single finger contact on the touch
screen display (e.g., contact 520-1, FIGS. 5A and 5B).
The device creates (1806) a touch area that corresponds to the
single finger contact on the touch screen display (e.g., touch area
525-1 that corresponds to single finger contact 520-1, FIGS. 5A and
5B).
The device determines (1808) if the touch area (e.g., touch area
525-14-a, FIG. 8B) overlaps an object (e.g., object 510-8-a, FIG.
8B) in the plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen
display.
The device connects (1810) the object with the touch area if the
touch area is determined to overlap the object (e.g., in FIG. 8B,
object 510-8 is connected with touch area 525-14).
In some embodiments, creating (1806) the touch area 525,
determining (1808) if the touch area 525 overlaps the object, and
connecting (1810) the object with the touch area are all done in
response to detecting (1804) the single finger contact on the touch
screen display.
After connecting the object with the touch area, the device detects
(1812) rotation of the single finger contact on the touch screen
display (e.g., from position a to position b in FIG. 8B).
The device determines (1814) rotation of the touch area that
corresponds to rotation of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display (e.g., rotation 808 of the touch area 525-14 from
position a to position b, FIG. 8B).
The device rotates (1816) the object connected with the touch area
in accordance with the determined rotation of the touch area (e.g.,
rotate 810 connected object 510-8 from position a to position b,
FIG. 8B). By using direct finger manipulation, the object is
rotated in accordance with the determined movement of the touch
area without using a cursor (1818).
FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of moving an
on-screen object with a single finger in accordance with some
embodiments. The method 1900 is performed at a computing device 300
with a touch screen display. In some embodiments, the method is
performed at a portable multifunction device with a touch screen
display (e.g., portable multifunction device 100). As described
below, the method 1900 provides an intuitive interface for nudging
and otherwise moving on-screen objects with a single finger via
direct finger manipulation, without using a cursor to move the
objects.
The device displays (1902) a plurality of objects on the touch
screen display (e.g., objects 600-13 and 600-15, FIG. 12A).
The device detects (1904) a single finger contact on the touch
screen display (e.g., contact 520-1, FIGS. 5A and 5B).
The device creates (1906) a touch area that corresponds to the
single finger contact on the touch screen display (e.g., touch area
525-1 that corresponds to single finger contact 520-1, FIGS. 5A and
5B). In some embodiments, creating (1906) the touch area 525 is
done in response to detecting (1706) the single finger contact on
the touch screen display.
The device detects (1908) movement of the single finger contact on
the touch screen display (e.g., from position a in FIG. 12A to
position b in FIG. 12B).
The device determines (1910) movement 1202 (FIG. 12A) of the touch
area that corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on
the touch screen display.
While detecting movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display, the device detects (1912) intersection 1204 (FIG.
12B) of the touch area (e.g., touch area 525-19-b, FIG. 12B) with
an object (e.g., object 600-13-b, FIG. 12B) in the plurality of
objects on the touch screen display.
In response to detecting intersection of the touch area with the
object, the device moves (1914) the object such that the object
ceases to intersect the touch area. For example, in response to
detecting intersection 1204 (FIG. 12B) of the touch area 525-19-b
with the object 600-13-b, the device moves (1206) the object such
that the object 600-13-c ceases to intersect the touch area
525-19-c (FIG. 12C). By using direct finger manipulation, the
object is moved without using a cursor (1916).
FIG. 20 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of moving a
plurality of on-screen objects with a single finger in accordance
with some embodiments. The method 2000 is performed at a computing
device 300 with a touch screen display. In some embodiments, the
method is performed at a portable multifunction device with a touch
screen display (e.g., portable multifunction device 100). As
described below, the method 2000 provides an intuitive interface
for direct finger manipulation of multiple on-screen objects with a
single finger, without using a cursor to move the objects.
The device detects (2002) a single finger contact on the touch
screen display (e.g., contact 520-1, FIGS. 5A and 5B).
The device creates (2004) a touch area that corresponds to the
single finger contact on the touch screen display (e.g., touch area
525-1 that corresponds to single finger contact 520-1, FIGS. 5A and
5B). The touch area includes a perimeter (e.g., perimeter 550-2,
FIG. 5C).
The device determines (2006) if the touch area (e.g., touch area
525-20-a, FIG. 13A; touch area 525-21-a, FIG. 13B; or touch area
525-22-a, FIG. 13C) overlaps with a plurality of objects (e.g.,
objects 510-15-a and 510-16-a, FIG. 13A; objects 510-17-a and
510-18-a, FIG. 13B; or objects 510-19-a and 510-20-a, FIG. 13C,
respectively) displayed on the touch screen display.
In some embodiments, the device determines a representative point
(e.g., point 530-21, FIG. 13A; point 530-22, FIG. 13B; or point
530-23, FIG. 13C, respectively) within the touch area and
determines (2008) if one or more portions of the touch area other
than the representative point overlap the plurality of objects.
The device connects (2010) the plurality of objects with the touch
area if each object in the plurality of objects is determined to
overlap the touch area (e.g., in FIG. 13A, objects 510-15 and
510-16 are connected with touch area 525-20; in FIG. 13B, objects
510-17 and 510-18 are connected with touch area 525-21; and, in
FIG. 13C, objects 510-19 and 510-20 are connected with touch area
525-22, respectively). Connecting the plurality of objects with the
touch area maintains the overlap between the touch area and each
object in the plurality of objects.
In some embodiments, creating (2004) the touch area 525,
determining (2008) the representative point 530, determining (2006)
if the touch area 525 overlaps the plurality of objects, and
connecting (1626) the objects with the touch area are all done in
response to detecting (2002) the single finger contact on the touch
screen display.
After connecting the plurality of objects with the touch area, the
device detects (2012) movement of the single finger contact on the
touch screen display (e.g., from position a to position b in FIG.
13A; from position a to position b in FIG. 13B; or from position a
to position b in FIG. 13C).
The device determines (2014) movement of the touch area that
corresponds to movement of the single finger contact on the touch
screen display (e.g., movement 1302 of the touch area 525-20 from
position a to position b, FIG. 13A; movement 1306 of the touch area
525-21 from position a to position b, FIG. 13B; or movement 1310 of
the touch area 525-22 from position a to position b, FIG. 13C,
respectively).
The device moves (2016) the plurality of objects connected with the
touch area in accordance with the determined movement of the touch
area (e.g., translate 1304 connected objects 510-15 and 510-16 from
position a to position b, FIG. 13A; rotate 1308 connected objects
510-17 and 510-18 from position a to position b, FIG. 13B; or
simultaneously translate and rotate 1312 connected objects 510-19
and 510-20 from position a to position b, FIG. 13C, respectively).
By using direct finger manipulation, the plurality of objects are
moved in accordance with the determined movement of the touch area
without using a cursor (2017).
In some embodiments, while detecting movement of the single finger
contact on the touch screen display, the device detects
intersection of the touch area and/or the plurality of objects
connected with the touch area with an unconnected object on the
touch screen display. In response to detecting intersection of the
touch area and/or the plurality of objects connected with the touch
area with the unconnected object, the device moves (2018) the
unconnected object such that the unconnected object ceases to
intersect the touch area and/or the plurality of objects connected
with the touch area.
In some embodiments, the device determines that the touch area
ceases to overlap with an object in the plurality of objects
connected with the touch area. In response to determining that the
touch area ceases to overlap with the object, the device
disconnects (2020) the touch area from the object.
FIGS. 21A-21B are flow diagrams illustrating a method of
simultaneously moving multiple on-screen objects with multiple
fingers in accordance with some embodiments. The method 2100 is
performed at a computing device 300 with a touch screen display. In
some embodiments, the method is performed at a portable
multifunction device with a touch screen display (e.g., portable
multifunction device 100). As described below, the method 2100
provides an intuitive interface for direct finger manipulation of
multiple on-screen objects with multiple fingers, without using a
cursor to move the objects.
The device displays (2102) a plurality of objects on the touch
screen display (e.g., objects 510-21, 510-22, 600-20 and 600-21,
FIG. 13D).
The device simultaneously detects (2104) a plurality of finger
contacts on the touch screen display (e.g., contacts by fingers
540-10-a and 540-11-a in FIG. 13D, with each contact analogous to
contact 520-1 in FIGS. 5A and 5B).
For each respective finger contact in the plurality of detected
finger contacts, the device: creates a respective touch area that
corresponds to the respective finger contact on the touch screen
display (e.g., touch area 525-23-a for the contact by finger
540-10-a and touch area 525-24-a for the contact by finger 540-11-a
in FIG. 13D), wherein the respective touch area includes a
perimeter; determines a respective representative point within the
respective touch area (e.g., point 530-24 in touch area 525-23-a
and point 530-25 in touch area 525-24-a in FIG. 13D); and
determines if the respective touch area overlaps a respective
object in the plurality of objects displayed on the touch screen
display (2106). Determining if the respective touch area overlaps
the respective object includes determining if one or more portions
of the respective touch area other than the respective
representative point (e.g., points 530-24 and 530-25) overlap the
respective object.
The device connects (2108) the respective object with the
respective touch area if the respective object is determined to
overlap the respective touch area (e.g., in FIG. 13D, object 510-22
is connected with touch area 525-23 and object 510-21 is connected
with touch area 525-24). Connecting the respective object with the
respective touch area maintains the overlap of the respective
object and the respective touch area.
In some embodiments, creating (2106) a respective touch area 525,
determining a respective representative point 530, determining if
the touch area 525 overlaps a respective object, and connecting
(2108) the respective object with the respective touch area are all
done in response to detecting (2104) the respective finger contact
on the touch screen display.
After connecting the respective object with the respective touch
area, the device detects (2110) movement of the respective finger
contact on the touch screen display (e.g., from respective position
a to respective position b in FIG. 13D).
The device determines (2112) movement of the respective touch area
that corresponds to movement of the respective finger contact on
the touch screen display (e.g., movement 1314 of the touch area
525-24 from position a to position b, FIG. 13D, and movement 1316
of the touch area 525-23 from position a to position b, FIG.
13D).
The device moves (2114) the respective object connected with the
respective touch area in accordance with the determined movement of
the respective touch area (e.g., simultaneously translate and
rotate 1318 connected object 510-21 from position a to position b,
FIG. 13D and simultaneously translate and rotate 1320 connected
object 510-22 from position a to position b, FIG. 13D). By using
direct finger manipulation, the respective object is moved in
accordance with the determined movement of the respective touch
area without using a cursor (2115).
In some embodiments, for a respective finger contact in the
plurality of detected finger contacts: while detecting movement of
the respective finger contact on the touch screen display, the
device detects intersection of the respective touch area and/or the
respective object connected with the respective touch area with a
respective unconnected object in the plurality of objects on the
touch screen display. In response to detecting intersection of the
respective touch area and/or the respective object connected with
the touch area with the respective unconnected object, the device
moves (2116) the respective unconnected object such that the
respective unconnected object ceases to intersect the respective
touch area and/or the respective object connected with the
respective touch area.
In some embodiments, for a respective finger contact in the
plurality of detected finger contacts: the device determines that
the respective touch area ceases to overlap with the respective
connected object. In response to determining that the respective
touch area ceases to overlap with the respective connected object,
the device disconnects (2118) the respective touch area from the
respective connected object.
FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of moving an object
with a hand edge contact in accordance with some embodiments. The
method 2200 is performed at a computing device 300 with a touch
screen display. In some embodiments, the method is performed at a
portable multifunction device with a touch screen display (e.g.,
portable multifunction device 100). As described below, the method
2200 provides an intuitive interface for direct manipulation of
on-screen objects with a hand edge, without using a cursor to move
the object.
The device displays (2202) a plurality of objects on the touch
screen display (e.g., objects 600-24-600-28, FIG. 14A).
The device detects (2204) a hand edge contact on the touch screen
display. The hand edge contact comprises a pinky finger edge
contact and a palm edge contact.
The device creates (2206) a touch area that corresponds to the hand
edge contact on the touch screen display. For example, in FIG. 14A,
touch area 1402-a includes touch area 1404-1-a that corresponds to
a first portion of the pinky finger edge contact, touch area
1404-2-a that corresponds to a second portion of the pinky finger
edge contact, and touch area 1406-a that corresponds to the palm
edge contact. In some embodiments, creating (2206) the touch area
1402 is done in response to detecting (2204) the hand edge contact
on the touch screen display.
The device detects (2208) movement of the hand edge contact on the
touch screen display.
The device determines (2210) movement of the touch area that
corresponds to movement of the hand edge contact on the touch
screen display (e.g., movements 1408, 1410, and 1412 of the
component touch areas in touch area 1402, FIG. 14A).
While detecting movement of the hand edge contact on the touch
screen display, the device detects (2212) intersection of the touch
area with an object in the plurality of objects on the touch screen
display (e.g., intersection 1414 with object 600-26-b, intersection
1416 with object 600-27-b, and intersection 1418 with object
600-27-b, FIG. 14B).
In response to detecting intersection of the touch area with the
object, the device moves (2214) the object such that the object
ceases to intersect the touch area. For example, in response to
detecting intersection 1414 (FIG. 14B) of the touch area 1404-1-b
with the object 600-26-b, the device moves (1420) the object such
that the object 600-26-c ceases to intersect the touch area
1404-1-c (FIG. 14C). Similarly, in response to detecting
intersection 1416 (FIG. 14B) of the touch area 1404-2-b with the
object 600-27-b, the device moves (1422) the object such that the
object 600-27-c ceases to intersect the touch area 1404-2-c (FIG.
14C). Similarly, in response to detecting intersection 1418 (FIG.
14B) of the touch area 1406-b with the object 600-28-b, the device
moves (1424) the object such that the object 600-28-c ceases to
intersect the touch area 1406-c (FIG. 14C). By using direct
manipulation, the object is moved without using a cursor
(2216).
The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been
described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the
illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or
to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many
modifications and variations are possible in view of the above
teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to
best explain the principles of the invention and its practical
applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best
utilize the invention and various embodiments with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
* * * * *
References